Touhou: Unchained Distortion of Reality
by MaelstormCaT
Summary: After losing his home, an average human is brought into Gensokyo by a certain gap youkai. This is his story as he tries to make a new home in this new and unfamiliar land. Note: will contain epic spell card battle... hopefully.
1. Day 1: Arrival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou Project. **

* * *

><p>cricket chirping

I can't sleep...

How could I, knowing that I'm about to do something really stupid.

I'm really envious of those people in movies; they never seem to have any trouble sleeping before a final battle.

But then again, I'm not running into any final battle, so I guess the tension is different... and the fact that I'm not a part of a fictional movie...

/beep

My eyes snapped open. Midnight already?

Glancing at the clock, the number 12 is staring back at my face.

It's time to go. It's for the best. It's the only way for the others.

But I don't want to leave. Where will I go?

Is this really the best thing to do?

I have to. I'm the oldest. It's my responsibility.

But I don't want to go!

But I have to! Just go already!

"Uhm..."

I snapped out of my reverie as the other person in the room sleepily rubs his eyes as he stares at me.

"... Shirou? What's the matter?"

Ah great, busted before I can even get out of my bed? That just plain stupid! Not to mention lame.

"It's nothing Shin, just a bad dream"

"... Are you okay?"

The bed creaked lightly as I get off it.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I... I just need to go to the bathroom"

"Oh... okay..."

Once again the dread welt up inside me as I make my way to the door as quietly as possible.

Have to get out. I can feel sorry for myself later. Just need to get out of here.

"Oni-chan..."

What's with all the interruption? Can't a guy do the right thing without any interruption?

Suppressing a sigh, I turned around, easily spotting the origin of the voice.

"What's the matter Suzuna?"

The tiny girl fidgeted under my gaze.

"Um... I... bathroom..."

* * *

><p>Flush

"Are you done in there? Need any help?"

"It's fine"

I sighed as I leaned on the wall. Doubt and fear once again invades my mind as I silently stood in the dark corridor.

Should I go through with it?

Can they handle things without me?

How many will cry?

How long will Suzuna cry when she finds out I'm gone?

...

Maybe I should just stay...

But then...

My thoughts are broken as a tiny hand lightly tugged on my shirt. Looking down, a pair of concerned eyes is staring up at me.

"...Oni-chan... you okay?"

"Y-yeah. Are you done?"

She lightly nodded at my question. Her concerned eyes never left me.

Focusing on anywhere but her eyes, I gently take her hand as we walk back to our room.

"Are you really okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been acting weird lately, everyone's worried"

"... It's nothing, just some problem at work"

Actually that's old news. I'm already kicked out when the authority find out I've faked my age to work. I suppose a 17 years old working at a night club is just pushing it, no matter how well I did. But still, I never expected to be able to hold that job for 4 years... Then again, the boss did manages to save some money by hiring a one-man bartender/bouncer/worker.

"Oh, okay"

* * *

><p>Rustle

"Now you go back to sleep okay? It's way past your bed time"

"He-he, Okay. See you tomorrow Oni-chan"

It took all my self control to keep myself smiling as I pulled the blanket over her tiny body.

"Yeah, see you in the morning"

This will be the first and last time I lied to her.

Gazing at the clock, it's now 1.20 AM.

I'm already behind schedule, if I'm really going to do this, it has to be now. But first, I have to wait until Suzuna fell asleep.

"zzz~"

Well that was fast. You really can't underestimate how fast a little girl can fall asleep. Then again, it IS past her bedtime.

I can't help but to smile as I watch her peaceful expression as she sleep. Gently, I moved a few strands of hair that is covering her face.

"Good night..."

She didn't stir as I carefully get off the bed.

Nobody else stir as I quietly pick up my bag from under my bed.

The whole room is quietly slumbering as I opened the door once more.

The peaceful silence is only disturbed by a light click as the door close behind me.

* * *

><p>After all the internal debate about my choice of actions, one would think that it won't take me long to open a simple door. But here I am, currently starring at the doorhandle that is grasped in my hand.<p>

All I got to do is open this door, walk out, and that's it. But the moment my hand touched the brass handle, it lost all the power it had.

I got to go now. Just open the door and keep walking. Walk and don't look back. It's for the best.

Taking a deep breath, I forcefully remove my doubt and push down on the handle.

"Where are you going?"

My heart clenched at her voice. I don't have to turn around to know who I'm talking to.

"Matron... I'm just... getting some fresh air"

"While carrying your bag? You're a bad liar, so why you keep doing it?"

"I'm sorry..."

I heard her sigh behind me.

Funny, this doesn't feel as hard as I thought it would be. Then again, I don't know what'll happen if I actually turn around to look at the woman that have taken care for me for the past 16 years.

"I'm leaving"

"I see..."

"You're not surprised?"

"Not really"

Hah, I'm really bad at keeping secrets.

"Will you not reconsider? There have to be another way"

"No, I've seen the numbers. It was manageable before, but ever since I lost my job..."

Like I said, I really can't keep any secret. Even my most closely guarded secret just went flying right out of my mouth before I can stop it.

Judging by the stunned silence, I would say that this is one of the few secret she haven't finds out.

"So you're our mysterious benefactor. I always had my suspicion, but hearing it from you..."

Before I can react, a pair of hands wrapped up around me from behind.

"You'll always do me proud"

"Thank you"

"The others will be sad when they found out you're gone"

"I know, but they would still have their matron and the orphanage. They'll get over it"

"...Where will you go?"

"I saved enough money saved to get me to the city. I'll figure something out when I get there"

Yeah, she doesn't have to tell me that this is a badly though plan. I know already. But I can't stay at the orphanage any longer.

To keep it afloat, my orphanage receive monthly stipend from the town aside from any charity donations. Charity is a rarity, so the monthly stipend is the primary income. But ever since I've turned 17 a few months ago, the stipend is greatly reduced. I heard they town mayor's been looking for a reason to cut us off the spending budget, and found one in my 'working' age.

Now that I've lost my job, my continuing stay at the orphanage will just leech from it. I would never forgive myself if it goes down because of me. Thus, I decided to leave. Without me, the orphanage would have 4 years before someone else turn 17. By then, hopefully there will be a new mayor who'll be more supportive to the orphanage.

I let out a sigh as I tried to focus my thought once again.

"I have to go now. Please let me go"

The hand wrapped around me hasn't let go.

"Please don't make this any harder for me"

The hand slowly loosened up before they let go.

I shouldered my bag as I step out of the orphanage.

It's a nice night; the full moon is shining in the sky.

"Take care Shirou"

"Yeah. Bye... Mom"

And I walk away; away from home, away from my family. Not once did I look back.

* * *

><p>"Haaah... let's see..."<p>

Ever felt like you're standing on a cross road of destiny? At the moment I'm sure I'm standing on one.

"I could go to Ueda... but it's cheaper to go to Omachi... but then again... it's probably easier to get a job in Tokyo... but then I won't have any money by the time I arrive... maybe Nagano? Or perhaps Nagoya?"

Yup, that's my cross road. Picking which train to get on to. I know it's pathetic, but give me a break; I'm just an ordinary teen trying to find his way in the world. Unlike other teen though, if I get this choice wrong, then I'm basically screwed.

Yeah, the stake is that high.

Dammit. If there's any deity listening to my inner monologue, please oh please give me guidance!

/Rustle

"Huh?"

I'm the only one in the station, so where did that sound come from?

Turning toward the sound, I'm greeted by a weird sight.

Since when does my bag have a tail?

/Rustle

Oh wait, it's just an animal that get stuck in my bag... somehow...

Crouching next to my bag, I carefully opened the zipper lest I injure the animal inside.

Peering inside, the owner of said tail stares back at me.

"Hey little guy, how did you get in there?"

Reaching into my bag, I warily take out the little intruder as gently as I can.

It yipped as I set it down on the floor.

It's a fox. Its gold yellow fur bristled as it stares at me curiously.

"Why are you sniffing in my bag? Are you hungry?"

I fish out a small beef jerky out of my bag's pocket which I then offered to the fox. It sniffed the jerky for a bit before it politely takes it from my finger. When I say politely, I mean it waited till I let go of the jerky before it start eating it, in a reserved manner if I might add.

"Polite one aren't you?"

The fox gives me a quick glance before it resumes eating.

For a second there the thought that the fox understand me pass my mind, but I quickly dismiss it. But then again, maybe I didn't dismiss it completely as I start talking to the fox. And it quickly becomes apparent that the fox does understand.

"So where's your owner?"

The fox lets out a tiny whine.

"She's not here? But you do have an owner right?"

It yipped happily.

"Heh, if she never shows up, maybe I should take you back to the orphanage?"

The fox bristled with a huff.

"Is that a no? You sure?"

It yipped.

"Fine. Then again... it's not like I can go back there anymore..."

This time the fox stays quiet as it keep staring at me.

"Hey, where do you think I should go?"

"Yip?"

Okay, I think that's a fox way of saying,'huh?'

I gently pick it up and carry it to the map on the wall.

"I only got enough money for a one way trip. Do you have a suggestion where I should go?"

"Yiiip?"

"You know... a new place to live, get a fresh start, a new... home..."

Ah great... now I'm starting to feel depressed. Bad choices of word there me...

"Yip-yip"

My musing is broken by a series of yip.

"Hm?"

The fox is tapping it front paw on the map.

"Okay, this is getting kind of creepy, but what the heck, show me where"

It took a few trials and error to figure out where the fox is pointing at. But after a few guesses, the fox that I'm holding is now staring contently at a spot on the map. The problem is...

"... Are you sure...?"

It yipped excitedly.

"Okay...?"

I look at the spot the fox pointed at the map. It doesn't have any railway or road leading there and it's quite far from any neighbouring towns. It's quite literally in the middle of nowhere.

"I dunno... it seems... like a nice place for a fox... but I don't know about human..."

"Yip?"

"Besides, I don't know how to get there"

I barely finish that sentence when all the light in the station suddenly turned off. It only last for a split second, but by the time the light came back on, the fox is no longer in my hands.

"Yip"

I looked to my feet, expecting to see the fox.

What I did not expect to see is a giant eyeball starring at me.

"You have got to be kidd..."

Without warning, I fall through the floor.

"...ING MEEEEEeeeeeee!"

And then darkness swallowed me down.

* * *

><p>Chirp, Chirp

Sunlight is trying to peer through my closed eyes.

Is it morning already?

...

It's still quiet, no one's awake yet. I'll just sleep a bit more...

/poke poke

"Uh...Shin..? Go away...still sleepy..."

/poke poke

"Just five minutes..."

/poke poke poke poke

I groaned as I rolled away from the annoyance.

"...go bother someone else..."

The poking stop.

...

Hah... finally. Some peace and quiet.

...

/shake shake

Huh? What? Earthquake?

Wait, that can't be it.

I can feel a pair of tiny hand on my shoulder, shaking me... violently.

"Wake uuup"

Aahh... everything is shaking... Is this what the end of the world felt like?

"Su-suika. You're killing him-ze. Let go"

The hand let go at the voice, and everything stop shaking.

Urgh... I think my innards are still shaking... Now I know what milkshakes felt like.

"Ow..."

I slowly opened my eyes.

Whoa, everything is spinning. I can see 4 suns dancing around each other.

Must hold the urge to hurl... Take a deep breath...

"Oh, he's waking up-ze"

"Doesn't look too good doesn't he"

"Eh, all he need is a drink. In fact...*glug-glug-glug*"

I ignore the voices as I attempt to regain my bearing back.

Okay, sun's back to one. Urge to vomit decreasing substantially. And I no longer feel the earth's revolution anymore. Okay, I'm good.

"Are you all right?"

"Think so"

Sitting up, I blinked out the remaining dizziness as I turn to the voice.

The sight that came into view is one I did not expect.

Two girls are looking at me.

Two unknown girls.

One is wearing a red white shrine maiden outfit, and the other is wearing... is that a witch hat?

Suddenly alert, I quickly look around my surroundings.

First thing I notice. I'm not in my bed.

Secondly, I'm lying down on a wooden veranda with the two unknown girls staring at me.

And lastly, there's a little girl drinking from a gourd lazily lounging in the back... A little girl with horns on her head...

There are many questions in my head as I turn toward the two girls again."Where am I?"

"This is the Hakurei Shrine... But that name doesn't mean anything to you, does it?"

The shrine maiden must've added the question when she saw the confusion that lingers in my face. She's right, I can see that I'm in a shrine, but why should it's name means anything to me? So to answer her question, I nodded lightly.

"Ooh, a stray outsider-ze, can I keep him?"

The shrine maiden throw a glare at the witch(?) before she returns her gaze toward me. "Anyway, you're lucky you didn't get eaten by a youkai. The road can be dangerous at night"

Youkai? What? Seriously?

Seeing my surprised expression, the shrine maiden sighed as she tiredly shakes her head."Okay, you're really not from around here. How did you got here anyway? The barrier is at full power last night so it would have been impossible for you to enter..." She sighed in irritation. I get the feeling that she's not too keen on explaining this stuff to me. "So? What were you doing before you got here?"

Hey! I thought a shrine maiden is supposed to be pure, innocent or stuff. Why the heck is she looking at me like it's completely my fault?

"Um... well, I was at the train station... and then..."

Then I remember. The giant eyeball that was staring at me before the darkness swallowed me up. I shivered at the memory. Talk about hibbie jibbies. Yeesh...

"Well...?"

"... I think I got swallowed up by this black hole with lots of eyeballs staring at me..."

There was silence... before it was quickly broken by a scream.

"YUKARIII!"

An angry scream to be exact.

The shrine maiden is red in rage as she screams out to the sky.

"Hm? Did someone say me name?"

The voice came from behind me, which is a surprise, since I was pretty sure there's no one behind me.

Turning around, I saw...

I already jumped away before my brain can even process what I am seeing.

"He he, don't be like that. Unlike some people, I don't bite"

The voice is clearly amused by my reaction.

But I'm pretty sure that it's a completely normal reaction for a human to be cautious in the face of the oddities. and the half body of a lady peeking out from a dark void definitely count as an oddity, a dangerous one.

"Yukari, what do you think you are doing?" The shrine maiden isn't even fazed by the sight as she proceeds to vent her anger on the... lady, I think... I mean, she got a blonde hair... and she looks human... though I'll reserve my judgement on the last part.

The 'lady' pulled herself out of the black void as she answers the shrine maiden's questioning demand. "Oh my, what did I do to deserve such resentment?"

"You dare asking? MY DONATION BOX!"

"Oh? And here I was trying to be nice by throwing something into your box. You don't like my offering?"

"MY DONATION BOX!"

Well, doesn't seem like I'll be getting any answer from those two anytime soon. So where should I look for an answer... "You smashed her donation box to pieces when you arrived-ze. Reimu's expression was so priceless" The witch is just too happy to give me one.

I smashed it means I crash landed on the box? That would explain why my right arm is feeling a bit sore. Still though... "Glad to see you amused, but that wasn't what I'm asking" I glance toward the lady that is using the black swirling void as a leaning post... is that even possible?

"Oh, you mean Yukari?"

"If that's her name, then yeah"

"She's a youkai-ze, what else can she be?"

"She is?"

I glance at the 'youkai' again.

She's yawning widely as she masterfully ignores the shrine maiden's rant.

"I always thought a youkai is a bit more... scary ..."

"That's just the outside world biased view"

Holy snap! Since when is she standing behind me? And where did that shrine maiden go?

"Yukari, what did you do to Reimu?"

"Her tirade is getting bothersome... so I sent her away to Hakugyokurou to cool off"

"Is she gonna be okay?"I asked the question before I can think. Dammit mouth! stop acting without the brain's instruction!

At my question, the lady youkai turn a sleepy eye towards me.

"It's fine. She'll be back by the hour, maybe longer, if she runs into the gardener"

All right, thanks for answering my question. Now can you please stop looking at me like I'm some kind of toy? Then again, a toy is better than being food... probably...

"Ooh, so basically she won't be back anytime soon right? In that case..."

Before I can say anything, the witch disappears into the shrine with a big grin on her face. Now, only me and the blonde lady remains.

Just me... and the youkai lady...

... Okay, I think I'm allowed to be freaked out at the moment.

"So... Welcome to Gensokyo. I trust you find your trip here enjoyable?"

Okay, she seems friendly, but just what kind of answer she expects from that question? "Uh...my trip? I'm not even sure how I get here. Last thing I remember is getting eaten those black hole thing"

"Oh my, does my boundary gap really scare you that much?"

Once again I have to remind myself that this person in front of me is not human. "Y-you're the one that brought me here?"

Her smiled radiates haughtiness as much as a nuclear power plant radiates nuclear. "Indeed, I'm the one that snatch you up back at the station"

"Why did you do that?"

"Hm... boredom... I suppose?"

Should I face palm? Yeah I really should. Actually, why am I even considering it? "So you brought me here, without my consent if I may add, just because you got nothing to do!" I probably should get my head checked for losing my temper on a youkai, but she's really asking for it. Beside, she's not even fazed by my irritation, in fact, she actually seems amused.

"Of course not, I have a perfectly good excuse to do so. But boredom is a big part of it"

"Well, can you send me back then?"

"You didn't say the magic word..."

Of all the stupid idiotic CHILDISH thing to do!

"... Can you PLEASE send me back?"

She looks really pleased with herself.

"Of course I can. But the question is; do you wish to go back?"

Do I wish to go back?

...

"Last time I check, you just break ties with your old life. You got nothing waiting for you out there."

Ouch lady, that's a dirty low blow. I'm sure there are nicer ways to describe my life. But wait, that part of my life just transpired this morning. How could she have known that, unless... "Have you been spying on me?"

"Not really, someone else was doing that"

"Under your orders, right?"

"Pretty much"

Her blunt honesty is starting to tick me off.

"So? Do you wish to go back?"

...

My mind just can't seem to come up with the youkai is right when she say I have nothing waiting for me if I go back, after all, I did break all bonds with the others... But if I stay here, then there are no chances of me reconnecting those bonds ever...

"Take your time; I got all the time in the world to wait for your answer. In the mean time... There's a sweet fragrant in the air and it's calling me"

I barely pay attention as the youkai walked away from me.

... nothing.

...I got nothing left. That sentence hits me really hard. The fact that I left home finally catch up to my brain.

The kids back home should all be awake by now. I wonder how much they're hurt when they found out that I left? Suzuna will be crying for hours when she finds out. Shin probably will cry also. Same with the others.

But this is for the best right?

* * *

><p>The sun's already up in the sky as I found myself sitting down on the stairs leading to the shrine. The sight is quite breath hints of technology, pollution... I must say, there's a certain beauty to the here won't be so bad... but still...<p>

I'm so deep in thought I didn't notice a tiny girl approaching me until I found a sweet dumpling shoved in my face.

"Here, Yukari wants me to give this to you"

"Huh... thanks..."

As I accepted the offering, I get a good look on the horned little girl.

I seen her a few times ever since I woke up, but this is the first time I actually had an actual conversation with her.

"So, you're a youkai also?"

"Yup, I'm an oni. Can't you tell by the horns?"

Not really. It's kind of hard to connect this little girl to the scary images I have of an Oni. Though I must admit, the way she's chugging on that gourd is completely oni like.

*glug-glug-glug*

Isn't that gourd should be empty by now? How is she still drinking from it?

*glug-glug-glug*

She's swaying slightly, there's a thick odour of alcohol coming from her.

*glug-glug-glug*

"Pwah! That's really good"

Actually, the image on a drunken oni really mash well with the sight I'm currently seeing.

"You want some?" She offered me her gourd. I can hear the sloshing sound coming from it.

"No thanks, I don't like eating sweets with sake. Maybe next time"

"Huh, suit yourself" She takes a big swig out of her gourd before she sit down next to me.

"Did you like it here?"

The Oni stops drinking when I ask her the question. "Yeah, it's a really nice place. The sake is good, and the people know how to have fun. Yeah, I like this place. Even more than the underground."

"The underground?"

"I used to live there. They make the best sake down there..."

"I see..."

The little oni is content to just sitting and drinking as I take a nibble on the dumpling.

It's good. Really good.

"Should I stay here?"

"You should, yeah. More people means more party"

"How did that work?"

".. I dunno, but it sounded fun. So are you gonna stay?"

"You just want an excuse to party don't you?"

"Basically, yeah. So are you?"

Maybe I'm infected by the oni's easygoing attitude, but I found the idea of staying not so bad anymore. If I go back, I'll be thrown into an uncertain struggle no matter how hard I try. It's a man eat man world after all. The same holds true everywhere, but at least in this place the nature of the predator is honest.

"Maybe I will"

"Awesome! Time for a welcoming party! *glug-glug* Pwah! We should wait for Reimu first though..."

I've heard that name a few times since I woke up, the black witch mention the name before.

"The shrine maiden from earlier?"

"Yeah, that's Reimu. It'll be a short party if we start it without her. She'll get mad and tell us to pack up /glug glug/"

Huh, she must be pretty strong if an oni listens to what she says.

"Is she a youkai also?"

The oni must've found that really funny as she spurted out a copious amount of alcohol before she starts laughing out loud.

"Hahahahahaha!"

And now she's rolling on floor laughing...

"Haha... haha... *Wheeze* Hahahahaha!"

And now she's on the ground, flat on her stomach, breathing heavily, but she still hasn't stop laughing.

Is what I said really that funny? It's just a simple question isn't it?

"Reimu... a youkai... Hahahahah!"

Wow, she still laughing.

I almost finished the dumpling by the time the oni stopped laughing.

"Hah... hah..."

"You done?"

"Yeah... I'm done. He-he"

"I assume that I'm completely wrong and she's not a youkai"

"Yeah. You're wrong. Completely absolutely wrong"

"You make that pretty obvious, though I don't know why you start laughing like that"

"But it's so funny. Reimu is so strong; calling her a youkai is probably not wrong either"

Contradicting someone's humanity behind their back is not something I would consider polite.

Then again, I don't know this Reimu, so I can't exactly intervene on her behalf.

...

Hm?

Is that...

"Quick question. Can the shrine maiden fly?"

"Yeah. How do you know?"

I reply to the oni's question by pointing at the figure that's heading toward us. She's still pretty far, I can easily spot the red and white outfit amidst the clear blue sky.

I'm surprised at how calm I am as I watch the flying shrine maiden slowed down her approach as she neared the shrine. Normal human would've freaked out by the sight. But then again, this morning has been quite an experience. Swallowed by black swirling eyeball, meeting a youkai, a witch (?), a tiny oni who can drink more than her weight...

Yeah... seeing a flying shrine maiden just doesn't surprise me anymore.

"Do you think she's still angry about earlier?"

No reply.

When I look at where the oni was sitting, I found no trace of her.

Funny, never pegged an oni as the stealthy type.

"You..."

I look ahead where the miko has landed just a few steps down from me.

"Welcome back"

"That's my dumpling..."

The shrine maiden got this dangerous glint on her eyes as she fixed her stare at the half eaten dumpling in my hand.

I got a bad feeling about this...

"I was saving them for tonight... the very limited bamboo boiled red bean dumpling with extra sweet stuffing..."

Yeah. I got a really bad feeling about this.

Stop feeling and start running!

I can't! Feet frozen in fear!

You suck!

Shut up! You're me so you also suck!

Unaware of my internal plight, the shrine maiden keep walking toward me.

"First my donation box... and now my snacks..."

She stopped just two steps away from me.

"I think you're entitled for a dose of divine punishment"

With a wave of her gohei, the air around her is suddenly filled with multiple brightly red glowing orbs of... energy... I think...

Each orb is about the size of a football and they're hovering dangerously in the air.

"H-hey, wait a sec... doesn't this seemed a bit dangerous?"

"Don't worry, danmaku don't kill. They just hurt"

"How much pain are we talking about here?"

"Don't worry, I'll hold back. A lot"

That sweet smile on her face promises untold pain upon my personal.

"Well then. Are you ready?"

"Not really..."

She ominously raised her arms upwards.

...huh, no sleeves... wonder who came up with the design...

"Well tough. Here I go"

"Wait a sec-WHOA!"

The moment she brings her arms down, all the glowing orbs shot out towards me.

I jumped to the side to avoid a cluster of spiralling orbs. Missing their intended target, the orbs smashed into the floor tile with a resounding crack, leaving multiple fracture upon impact.

"You call that holding back?"

"Pretty much, Yeah! It's not blown up isn't it?"

Well when she put it that way... Whoa, hit the deck!

I ducked just in time to avoid another wave of orbs.

"It still doesn't seem safe to me!"

"Then try to not get hit!"

Looking up, I barely have time to roll away from an orb that coming directly at where I'm crouching.

"Gee, what a wonderful suggestion!" I jumped backward to dodge two curve shots that are coming towards me. Missing their target, the two orbs collided with each other, releasing a small explosion that quickly dissipates into the air. "And that was sarcasm by the way!"

"Yeah, I noticed!"

* * *

><p>"She reacted exactly as I imagined"<p>

Three spectators are enjoying the show as they wash down their early brunch meal with tea. Well, two of them are drinking tea, the third one prefers hers straight from her gourd.

"You think she'll realize we're the one who ate up all her snacks-daze?"

"I'm sure she will once she calms down enough. We got any tea left?"

"Not much, there are more tea herbs in the back-daze, but I really can't be bothered at the moment"

"So very true... don't want to miss such an interesting show?"

"Reimu holds back a lot, but he's not doing too badly for an ordinary human"

"Well, he does get a lot of fighting experience from his previous job"

"What did he do?"

"He works in... fine establishment where people partake in activities such as dancing and drinking in the middle of the night"

"Sounds like a fun place"

"It's a human establishment"

"Oh. Never mind then"

A loud yell and a string of insult brought their attention back to the ensuing one sided fight.

"Hey that hurt dammit!"

"It's just a light graze! And it's supposed to do that!"

"I swear if you accidently killed me I'm gonna haunt you for life!"

"You do that and I'll just beat you up again!"

Somehow, the fight has evolved into a screaming match; a fact that has become a source of endless amusement for the two sober spectators.

"First time I saw Reimu get this worked up during a danmaku"

"Can't blame her-daze, what with the way he keep baiting her"

"But she keeps responding to said bait. She's guilty in that part"

"I guess... So what do you think Suika? You haven't said much"

" *glug-glug-glug* Hm? I think they're having fun"

The oni might be drunk, but she's right. If one looks closely, the cat and mouse in front of them seems to be enjoying their game even amidst the insult and painful projectiles. The cat is clearly toying with her prey and the mouse doesn't seems to mind the chase anymore.

"Hey you're right-daze. They seem to be enjoying themself"

"Aww... such a precious moment..."

"..."

"..."

"Suddenly it doesn't seem as entertaining as before"

"Agreed. Maybe I should do something about it... "

Before the other two can respond, the blonde youkai already slip away into one of her gaps.

* * *

><p>Duck, roll, jump to the left, jump to the left again, a quick tumble then quickly spring back up.<p>

I don't know whether it's intentional or not, but there's a pattern on all her attacks. Evading these glowing orbs are now a lot easier since their flight paths are always following the same pattern and trajectories.

Then again, that's a lot of shots per volley, so even with this knowledge, evading isn't exactly a cake walk either.

So far I haven't taken a direct hit from any of those projectiles, though there are occasions when I'm too slow to move and an orb or two manages to graze me. It hurt quite a bit, but it's not like this is the first time I've ever taken a punch.

... This is kind of fun. This kind of thrill... it's been a while since I last felt this way.

"Aren't you're enjoying this a bit too much?"

"Punishing the wicked is what I do best!"

"Wicked? Do you know how evil you're acting at the moment?"

"Even Buddha may be upset if his face is hit three times!"

"The box and snacks only count as two!"

The shrine maiden suddenly stop shooting as I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"The boy is right you know"

"Yukari..."

The blond youkai behind me isn't even phased by the shrine maiden's murderous glare as she opted to pat me gently on the head. I try to break free from her hold, but that hand on my shoulder got a very strong grip that really contrasted her elegant lady image.

What the heck, I'm not a pet, let go of me!

My annoyance seems to only fuel her amusement as she continues her petting.

"You know, you shouldn't be rude to someone that's trying to help you"

How is this helping me? Petting my head as you use me as a meat barrier between you and the angry shrine maiden... who looks like she's only a hair trigger away before she start shooting again. I don't think this count as helping.

"Stop struggling, you're making this harder than it's suppose to be"

That does not ease my mind at all! Just what the hell are you doing lady!

My struggle didn't even put a dent on the iron solid grip she got on me. And through it all, she just keeps petting my head.

"There we go, all done"

And suddenly, she let me go.

The unexpected action makes me stumble forward as I try to regain my balance.

But regaining one's balance is really hard when there's a giant eye is staring at you from a black gaping void right underneath you.

"Whoa!" I manages to stop myself just a few inches from the hole. Phew, talk about a close one...

"Don't worry, it's perfectly safe. Now in you go"

Before I can react, the blonde youkai push me right into the hole.

I instinctively close my eyes as I entered the black void... only to feel the wind rushing in my face just a second later it.

"Whoa!"

"Kyaa!"

/Crash

* * *

><p>"Ooh, this' gonna suck for him-daze"<p>

"Are you going to help him?"

"And deny the build up to the most interesting entertainment in weeks? No way!"

"I guess... Sake?"

"Sure"

"I'll have some too"

"Okay"

"Yukari, you can be so evil sometimes"

"Why thank you, I try to impress"

* * *

><p>...<p>

Oww my head...

Okay... I can honestly say the black hole thing doesn't feel too bad this time around, but can't you at least drop me on the ground? Not above it?

Now where did I landed? I can feel the hard tile on my left hand, but my right hand isn't touching a tile... it's not flat for one, and quite soft too.

I slowly push myself off the ground.

"Nhaa!"

My eyes snapped open at the sound of a feminine squeak directly underneath me.

...

Uh-oh.

This is not gonna end well...

"...You do know this is not my fault right"

"... Does it look like I care AT THE MOMENT!"

I instantly sprang to my feet as I quickly backed away from the enraged shrine maiden underneath me. Is she channelling Ashura or something? I can literally SEE the murderous intent coming out of her as she gets back on her feet.

"What do you have to say for yourself?"

Please don't kill me!

It's an accident!

It's that blonde youkai's fault!

Come on, say something me!

"Uh... They're bigger than I expected"

Why did I say that? I'm blaming it on the cold fear that turns my common sense into mush.

"You..."

Everything becomes deathly quiet aside from the flapping wings as a swarm of birds decided to tuck tail and start flying away at full speed. Their instinct must've warns them of the incoming danger. The shrine maiden's expression is unreadable, but the moment she start hovering to the air, it become quite apparent that I am screwed, big time.

Before I can react, the familiar red orbs are back in sight, only, these are twice the size from the ones before. I can manage that... somehow...but now there's a new addition to the projectiles. A thin transparent paper talisman shot out all around her. Most of it isn't even aimed at me as a large amount of them start raining all over the place.

What does one do at the face of overwhelming firepower such as the one in front of me?

I turn around and start running.

"Don't you think this is a bit too much?"

"Trust me! This is you getting off lightly!"

"I guess that's good to know... Ack!"

One of the glowy orbs of pain just slammed into right shoulder.

Damn that thing packs a punch. It almost felt like being tackled by a football player, which is one of the more painful experiences in my life... But let's not dwell on the past while the present is trying to give me a painful beat down.

I just barely manage to catch from falling down by using my left hand as a pivot to steady myself back up.

Dammit, this is going nowhere. Isn't there anything I can do?

"Booo! You suck!"

The black witch didn't even care when I throw her an irritated glare at her comment.

"Yeah! You're such a big help. Thanks for the VERY helpful commentating!"

"It's what I do best-ze. Oh, heads up"

I didn't even have to look up. The red glow coming from directly above me is all the warning I needed as I jumped to my left, right into a wave of talismans.

Move stupid, move!

I throw myself out of the way in a quick tumble, but a few of the talisman manage to get a nick on me.

Ouch! Paper cut!

It's doesn't hurt as bad as the red orbs, but it still stings quite a bit.

"Want my help?" I can hear the oni yelled out.

"Help would be nice, yeah"

"In that case, run forward!"

F-forward? toward where my attacker is? Isn't that a bit on the dangerous side?

"Go!"

Ah dammit, fine, it's not like I have a better plan. Putting strength into my legs, I shot forward as fast as I could.

I really should get my head checked for rushing toward a hail of painful projectiles, but it seems to be working at the moment. As long I move fast enough, the red orbs will fly too high to actually hit me, the only thing I have to watch out for is the talismans which seems to have a homing capabilities. But again, as long I move fast enough, the talisman can't keep up as they keep missing me by the dozen.

"Stop! Hard right!"

I skidded to a halt just before a hail of energy ball hits the ground in front of me. Following the oni's suggestion, I throw myself to the right, just in time to avoid another wave of glowing talisman coming from behind.

"All right! Now Counter Attack!"

What an excellent idea, I have the shrine maiden in sight while she seems to have runs out of stuff to throw at me. There's just one problem...

"Just how the heck am I suppose to do that?"

The little oni that's been feeding me advice have the gall to give me a sheepish look before she starts drinking from her gourd once more. Yeah... taking advice from a drunken oni... extra emphasize on the DRUNKEN part. But I suppose it is quite amazing that she can navigate me through all that projectiles despite being drunk. Anyway, time to run again; The air is filled with more glowing orbs as the shrine maiden resumes her attacks.

"Boo! You suck-ze!"

Okay... just ignore her... replying really not gonna help my situation...

"You getting beat up by a girl"

Ignore her... focus on dodging...

"Stop running. Start fighting!"

Urgh... can't she take a hint?

"Come on! Start fighting-ze! This is getting boring to watch!"

I snap.

"Yeah sure! I'll fight! Just watch me randomly waving my arms around and see what it does!"

I'm so pissed off at her that I'm actually waving my arms around randomly. Seriously, what am I doing...? This is not gonna help me in the sligh...

I pause as I notice half a dozen glowy orbs floating around me. Unlike the one being shot toward me, these are much smaller, about the size of my fist, the colouring is a bit lighter also... but the most important fact here is... they're not attacking me.

I don't have to look around to know that I'm not the only one that's surprised at this interesting development. Even the shrine maiden stop attacking for the moment.

I slowly raise my left arm.

The orbs drifted higher.

I carefully move to the right.

The orbs slowly trailed off behind me.

...

Are you serious? These are mine? How the heck did that happen?

"What are you waiting-daze? Attack!"

"O-okay"

Yeah, I might've said that. But... how do you do that?

"Um... attack?"

The orbs lazily hovered around me.

"Get her?"

Still nothing.

"...Hello?"

No reaction.

"Gyahahaha!" The witch is unforgiving toward the hilarity of the situation as she starts laughing really hard.

"Ah shut up! I'm trying my best here!"

As I whirl around to face her, one of the orbs around me shot forward without any warning whatsoever.

"Incoming!" At the little oni's shout, the three spectators quickly scramble away from the stray shot. Well, one of them just lazily slips into her black hole thing... but that's beside the point.

To my surprise, and everyone else's probably, the projectile I fired shifted in mid air as it followed the black witch.

"Oi Oi. You're kidding right! This is just like..."

Not having much time before the orb hit her, the black witch quickly ducked behind a pile of wooden boards that is stacked next to the shrine.

"Hey wait! That's..."

/Bang!

... Wow... that's... stronger than I expected... The witch's hiding place is blown to bits, but at least she's unharmed. It would make for a very bad impression if I blow someone up on my first day here.

"Phew... that was dangerous-daze... watch where you're firing!"

"That was an accident! I don't even know I can do that, so give me a...uh..."

The air is suddenly filled with ridiculous amount of white glowing orbs. Two dozen? Three dozen? I can't even count them! Unlike the previous ones these orbs are hanging suspended in air as they lazily circle around me, waiting for the moment to strike.

"W-what..."

The cause soon makes herself known as the shrine maiden hovered into my view.

"That... was my donation box... you just completely destroyed my donation box..."

I suddenly remember the initial reason for her hostility. I broke her donation box, which means that it's probably can still be repaired. But now she uses the word 'destroyed' means it is now unrepairable. Considering the situation, it is clear what just happened and what will happen shortly; The stack of wood I just accidentally destroyed is the remains of her donation box and now she's going to hurt me for it.

Ah crap...

"Any last words?"

Crap big time...

"Um... please be gentle?"

"Denied. **Divine Spirit 'Fantasy Seal' "**

Almost at once, a storm of orbs shot out towards me.

This is gonna hurt...

/Kaboom

* * *

><p>"Urgh..."<p>

"Oh, he's waking up"

"Ow my head... anyone got the number on that truck?"

"What's a truck?"

"It's an outsider term, don't mind it"

As I open my eyes, I saw three pair of eyes looking down on me.

"What happened?"

"You got beat up real good" The oni answered before she starts drinking again.

O yeah... I got surrounded by a bunch of white orb thing... and then there was pain... so much pain... Felt like I just got mobbed by a gang of yakuza... another one of my most painful experiences in life.

At the moment though, let's see. .. No lingering pain on body, shoulder is a bit stiff but no immediate pain, limbs... completely fine, head... is probably fine...Huh, I'm surprised I get out of that with barely any scratch.

As for location... judging my surroundings, I think I'm somewhere inside the shrine. Probably a guest room or something similar. Speaking of the shrine, where did that shrine maiden go...

I didn't have to look hard to spot the girl who just trashed me.

She's sitting across the black witch, snacking on a freshly peeled orange without a care in the world... Is that really the attitude for someone who just beat the tar out of an innocent man?

She stops eating when our eyes met.

"..."

After a moment of hesitation the shrine maiden quickly look away.

"Humph"

What's... with the silent treatment?

"Don't mind her-daze; she's still upset about her donation box"

Damn this 'maiden' can hold a grudge.

"Can't she just get a new one?"

"She could... but...she's a bit... lacking... on material possessions..."

Oh... I think I see the problem here...

Glancing around, I notice a few things that support my theory.

Actually, there are a lot of things, and all of them have one thing in common. They're all completely worn down... heck, the whole room is worn down... I'm probably not wrong if I say that the whole shrine is worn down.

"..."

Don't you feel guilty when you accidently run over an old beggar? That's exactly what I'm feeling at the moment.

"Fine... I'll get her a new one"

"You will?"

I barely finish talking when the girl is suddenly right up in my face.

Just how miserable are you that the idea of getting a new donation box gives you so much happiness?

"Y-yeah... it's the least I could do... now can you back off a bit... please..."

"All right! Yes!"

She didn't even notice my discomfort as she happily strode back to her seat. Once again, just how miserable are you that the idea of getting a new donation box gives you so much happiness?

"So, does that mean you're staying?"

I look toward the blonde youkai to find her staring at me intently, obviously waiting for an answer.

"I guess so"

"All righttt! Party time!"

The tiny oni sure is excited at the idea of me staying... or maybe she just wants to party?

The blonde youkai smiled in triumph before another black hole appeared next to her in which she reaches inside to pull out...

"Hey, that's my bag"

"I have it stashed just in case you decided you want to stay"

"Thanks uh..."

"Yukari, Yukari Yakumo"

"Thanks Yakumo-san"

"Just Yukari is fine, and you're welcome. One must provide for their investments don't they?"

Investment? Just what the heck is that supposed to mean?

"So what did you do to him?"

"Huh?"

My confusion is ignored as the shrine maiden levelled an annoyed glare at Yukari.

"Oh my, whatever do you mean?"

"You did something to him; I did not detect any spiritual, magical, or youki in him, and yet he somehow able to create and fire a danmaku bullet"

"Yeah-daze! And the way it move, it's a lot like Reimu's spirit bullet"

"Excuse me; can someone explain what's going?"

The shrine maiden only glance toward me before she focus her glare at the blonde youkai. The witch on the other hand, decided to enlighten me on what's going on.

"Okay, don't panic, but Yukari might've change you into something that's not human"

Well... aren't you a blunt one. And that don't panic bit, are you seriously expecting me not to panic!

I whirled around to face the blonde youkai again.

"Is that true?"

"Of course not. My power to manipulate boundaries does not allow me to undo someone's humanity"

Phew, that's a relief.

"So I tweaked your existence instead"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Hey, um... oni girl, what's your name again?"

"It's Suika, Suika Ibuki"

"Oh, okay. Suika, got it. Anyway, can I have a drink?"

"Sure"

"Thanks"

If we're gonna talk about my currently undefined existence, there's no way in hell I'm doing it with a clear state of mind.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change

"Okay, so I'm not... gonna disappear out of existence or something right? Because seriously, that would've suck"

My mind is just blurry. I got a pretty high alcohol tolerance thanks to my ex-job, but who'd know that the oni's gourd is self replenishing... I might've drunk a bit more than I'm planning too... but eh, who cares...

"Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that won't happen"

"Uhm... pretty sure?"

"It's the best I can say; the concept of existence is a fickle one, after all,it's the second most complex definition of all times, just below the calculations of love and relationship"

"Hm... that makes perfect sense... hic..."

Yeah, I'm completely smashed.

Everything is spinning and it took all I got to focus on the conversation. Focus that is rapidly decaying mind you.

"So... what did you do to my... existence?"

"Let's see... I weakened the boundary of your existence so it becomes more... flexible... I think that's what I did"

"That's what you think you did? Just how irresponsible can you be?"

"Reimu, quiet down-daze. Screaming at her will only gives him a headache"

"Urgh... well fix him back then"

"I probably should... but... I can't find his boundary anymore... it becomes too blurry for me to grasp"

"Say WHAT! I ought to blast you straight to the Sanzu River!"

"You could try, but we both know what would happen if you somehow manage to succeed"

"Grr..."

"What's so bad about it anyway-daze? It's fine since he's still a human right?"

"Don't you see what's going on here?"

"Not really... What?"

"Thanks to Yukari, his whole 'existence' is one big incident! Do you know how annoying that is for me?"

"Well, you just have to watch over him for the rest of your life then"

"Yukari..."

"Oooi... I don't need baby sitter... I can take care of myself no problem..." At this point I'm pretty sure 80% of my brain has shut down, leaving just the bare necessity for my body to not drop dead. My concentration is rapidly slipping, and my rational thought already shut down a while ago. Also, there's probably only a few more minutes before my common sense also shut down.

"You heard the man; he can take care of himself, that'll solve all our problem isn't it?"

"... I really shouldn't... but fine..." The miko's laziness once again claims another victory over her sense of responsibility.

"So anyway. What's the deal with him being able to do danmaku?" Now that the miko have backed down, the black and white witch chirped excitedly with barely contained excitement.

"Ah... that... is an excellent question... one that would take too long for me to explain"

"Oh, well... skip the boring explanation and straight to the good part. What can he do? Anything good?"

"Another excellent question, one that I can explain in a few words" The gap youkai slurps on her tea before she continues. "Thanks to his... flexible existence... there's a chance that ...his existence can be... influenced by another's during a danmaku. Something like that"

"Is that how he uses Reimu's spirit bullet?"

"I believe his existence was altered by the energy residue from Reimu's bullets, thus he, in a simpler term, copied Reimu's abilities"

"Isn't that dangerous? There's no-"

"Don't worry, by now all traces of you has already rejected by his body. Currently he's just a normal human, one with a ... unique existence, but nonetheless, a human."

"So, what you're saying is... his abilities will change depending on who's his danmaku's opponent?"

"Pretty much so"

"That is awesome! If I fight him, it'll be like fighting myself! That's gonna be so fun"

"That would be fun, yeah /gulp gulp/. Here ya go"

"Thanks little oni..."

"Uh... Suika, just how much has he been drinking?" Now that the shrine maiden take a good look at the newcomer, she can see that he's barely concious thanks to all the sake he's ingested.

"I dunno. Around 15 servings? Give or take a few"

"That many? Suika, maybe you should stop giving him more, he looks completely smashed "

"Eh... boss always said... you're not drunk... Till you can't stand without passing out... So I can't be drunk... Suikaaaaaaa, gimme another oneeee..."

"You're still holding it"

"Oh. Heh... my bad.../gulp gulp"

"Ooooh..."

"Suika, you're not supposed to admire him"

"No worries... I'm fine... I'm fine..."

"Hm, Shirou, can you please stand up?"

"Stand...?"

"You said you're not drunk right? Then stand up"

"Okay... boss always said to do what a pretty lady said..."

"He's drunk. Completely and utterly drunk"

* * *

><p>I don't remember when , but I apparently I lost conciousness at some point, because right now I find myself lying on a futon in the middle of the same room from earlier. It's already dark outside so I guess I've been out for quite some time.<p>

I must've woke up because my stomach is demanding to be filled with dinner, which is why I'm munching on the last few beef jerky I packed before I left home. Though I'm having some trouble keeping the food down considering I'm experiencing one of the worst hangover of the year.

"Oww my head..."

I swallowed down the last jerky before I slowly drink down the tea that was given to me by the shrine maiden.

"It's your fault for having trying to outdrink an oni"

"In my defence... I was more concerned about my existence problem"

"Hm..."

"..."

"..."

"Where's everyone else?"

"They already left before the sun sets"

"Oh... okay..."

"..."

"..."

"I never got the chance to ask earlier, but where is this? I think Yukari-san called it Gensokyo?"

"That is correct"

"Yukari? I thought you left already"

"Did I now? And you should keep your voice low or you will just give a headache to your guest"

"My guest? You're the one that brings him here"

"Urgh... Sorry but can you please keep it down..."

"See, told you"

"Uu..."

"Fu-fu. Why don't you makes us some tea while I educate your guest on his situation"

"... Fine"

/footstep walking away

"So then Shirou, You got questions for me?"

"...Where exactly am I?

"Didn't I mention already? You're in Gensokyo"

"Then what is Gensokyo?"

"I'm so glad you asked, what do you want to know?"

"Everything would nice"

"My, aren't you a curious one?"

"Can't blame me for being curious considering that I'll be staying here"

"How true. Now let's see...you can think of Gensokyo as a place for youkai and human to co-exist together. It didn't start that way, but it is now. .. Or at least it's getting there... but don't worry; there hasn't been any case of humans getting eaten by youkai for a while now"

"I guess that's something... So how come no one knows of this place? Some kind of magic?"

"Why yes, Gensokyo is sealed from the outside world. I think that was about 160 years ago... The humans did quite a nice job with the sealing, but the boundaries is still a bit rough until yours truly fixed it"

"Huh... you must be very strong then"

"Hm, Possibly... So, do you have any other question?"

"... Why did you bring me here? I doubt it's a simple goodwill act"

"Now that one... is a secret"

"... Figures"

"So that's all your questions right? In that case, I'll be taking my leave now"

"Wait; before you go...I need a favour..."

"Oh? What kind of favour?"

"... In my bag... there's an envelope... can you find it?"

I would've get it myself, but I really can't bring myself to move around to much at the moment. I'm not so sure about asking this youkai to do this kind of menial task, but since she just zipped my bag open and start rummaging through it's content, I guess she don't mind helping me out this time.

/Rustle rustle

"Yeah I found it. What do you want to do with it?"

"Can you please give it to my matron?"

"... You sure? There's quite a lot in here"

Of course there's a lot. That was my entire live savings that I originally planned to use to get myself started on a new city. But since I'll be staying here, then I won't need it anymore. I probably should kept some just in case I need some emergency money, but considering that this place is sealed from the outside world, I doubt the currency will be the same, so I might as well send the money back home as a farewell gift of some sort.

"I'm sure. Please..."

"... Just this once..."

"Thanks..."

"Don't mention it. And Reimu, you should bring him to the human village tomorrow; someone might be able to find a place for him to stay. Unless of course you don't mind him staying in the shrine..."

"... Just go already"

The shrine maiden walked back into the room with nothing in her hands, meaning that she must've been listening from the very beginning instead of making the tea.

"Fu-fu. Oh, and by the way, you shouldn't eavesdrop on people's conversation. It's very impolite after all"

"Like you're one to talk"

"My~~ Just what does that mean... Be seeing you"

"..."

"..."

"She left..."

"Yeah..."

"You okay with staying here?"

"Hm?"

"Won't you miss your family?"

"I did..."

"So why stay?"

"It's for the best..."

"..."

"..."

"So, Reimu is it?"

"Yeah, Reimu Hakurei., it's too confusing if you use my family name, so just call me Reimu"

"What's yours?"

"Shirou, just Shirou"

"No surname?"

"Orphan, got my name from my the lady who took me in"

"Oh... sorry"

"No worries"

"..."

"..."

"So what do you do around here? Besides drinking tea"

"I hunt troublesome youkai, keep the shrine clean, solve incidents...stuff like that"

"You're just drinking tea at the moment"

"So?"

"... Never mind..."

"..."

"..."

"So now what?"

"Now you rest. Tomorrow we'll head down to the village"

"All right"

"..."

"..."

"I'm going to bed"

"Okay. I'll just finish this tea before i go to bed myself"

"... Good night then"

"Yeah, Good night. I'll see you in the morning"

"Yeah"

She left through the door. I can hear the door closes as I drank down the reaming tea in the cup. I never knew tea can this effective against hangover. Is it the way it's prepared or is it always a hidden trait of tea that I've never discovered? Anyway, now that my hangover has subsided, it's time to go to bed.

/Knock-knock

As I slowly lie down on the prepared futon, there's a soft knock on the door before it opens and Reimu pops his head in.

"Oh, one last thing"

"Hm?"

"Welcome to Gensokyo"

* * *

><p><strong><strong>AN: My first story on FFN. What do you all think? Read and review please.<strong>**

****Profile Update:****

****Reimu Hakurei****

****Shrine Maiden of the Paradise****

Shirou's Note: What kind of girl blast a guy on their first meeting? Her temper is quite a problem as she is quick to accuses me of several different thing that I by any means not at fault. I appreciate her decency to hold back during my 'punishment', but it doesn't change the fact that it still hurt a lot. She's really not cute at all! Still, she seems like a nice person when we were talking before bed, and she does take cares of me after I pass out from too many drinking. So maybe she's not so bad...

****Yukari Yakumo****

****Youkai That Lurks in the Boundaries****

Shirou's Note: Seriously, this lady is pissing me off. just because she's some powerful Youkai doesn't give her the right to play around with someone's life like this right? Still though, I guess I do owe her for bringing me here; I don't know what's her plan for me but she probably just saved my life by bringing me here. Not like I'll ever say this to her face mind you.


	2. Day 2: A new home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**AN: I really need a beta reader... Anyway, I'm sleepy as hell when I did my final recheck of the story, so I might mess up a few things. **

**PS: Wrathkal, is this right? I try adding more detail to it like you said.**

**PPS: As of 22 April 2012, this chapter has been Re-updated with a few grammar fixes. (I think they're a fix... though the possibilities that these fixes could break the chapter even worse is there)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou Project.**

* * *

><p>"Good morning people! Reimu! Are you in?" A loud guest announced herself as she barged into the shrine.<p>

The shrine maiden didn't even bother to look at the intruder as she enjoys a warm cup of tea. "Oh, morning Marisa..."

Unfazed by the lack of interest toward her visit, the girl waltzed right in. "Hey, can I get some tea?"

"Sure, I'll just-" The cup in Reimu's hand is snatched away by the girl before she quickly downed the rest of the content.

"Ah... that hit the spot... So, what are you doing today?"

Reimu annoyingly stared at the now empty cup, but she shaked her annoyance away and reached for a rice cake instead. "I'll be going to the village later on, I have to sort out his stay there."

"The sun's already up, when will you be going?"

"Later on..."

"Reimu..."

"..." The shrine maiden ignored her as she bit into the rice cake.

"You're just being lazy again. Haven't you heard the saying 'Early birds get the worms'? And you! Are you seriously still sleeping?" With a small wind-up, the magician girl swung her foot at the small lump in the futon positioned in the corner of the room.

"Ow!" Damn, my attempt to stay hidden underneath the futon has failed. Can't a guy get a few more hours of sleep on this bright and early morning? "Leave me alone...I'm semi-nocturnal." I furled deeper into the futon.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I sleep late at night and don't wake up until around noon."

Don't blame me; my previous job requires me to be alert during the night, so turning semi-nocturnal is part of the job hazard. Even after I lost my job I usually wake up around noon-ish. No one at the orphanage complained as they're already used to it, some even turned my sleeping habit as a source of entertainment as they experiments with multiple kind of wake up calls.

I still haven't paid Shin back for stuffing ice cubes into my shirt...

"In a way you're worse than Reimu..."

"Yeah whatever... just let me sleep a bit more please..."

* * *

><p>The sun is already pup high in the sky by the time we finally left the shrine. Judging by the sun's position, I'd say it's around 1 PM at the moment... maybe 2 PM... somewhere between the two.<p>

"You know, a bit more is usually 10 minutes, two hours is not a bit more." The magician girl is scolding me.

"My bad..." I mumbled out.

"And Reimu, I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so."

"It's not that late yet..."

"You're bringing him to see Keine right? She's got classes around this time."

"... then we'll see her after school then, simple."

"Way to take it easy... Let's get going then."

"You're coming along?"

"Yeah, I got nothing better to do."

"Okay, but we still have to solve one little problem before we can go."

"Which is?"

"Him."

I instructively take a step back when the two girls turn to look at me. "Okay? What did I do now?"

"... You can't fly, can you?"

"Of course not."

"Figures..."

"So what? We'll just carry him with us then."

"I'm not going to carry him. Too tiring."

I don't think I'm that heavy... but then again, I really can't picture this shrine maiden to do any heavy lifting with those tiny arms of her. I can already imagine her complaining about excess baggage before giving up. Maybe we should just go with the classic method of travelling, one that is reliable and pertains no danger of falling to death. "Can't we just walk there?"

"..."

"..."

Hey, stop staring at me like that. Walking is a very normal thing for humans to do you know!

"Haa... Where's Suika when you need her..." Reimu complained as she tiredly rubbed her head.

"He can just ride with me, I don't mind." The blond girl offered.

"Ride what exactly?" The word ride normally implicate to use some sort of transport to be used in the process. But as far as I can see, there is nothing in the area that can be classified as a transport.

"My broom, what else?"

Oh... You mean that broom you've been holding on to ever since we left the shrine... Seriously?

When I glance at Reimu she responds with a quick nod before she slowly starts hovering upward.

The blond magician mounted her broom before she beckons towards me. "Well? What are you waiting for?" She patted the tail end of the broom, telling me to get on.

"Uh... okay?" I tentatively reached out at the broom, half expecting it to lash out toward me. I know it's stupid, but hey, I've seen weird things ever since I got here. To my relief, the broom didn't bite, but now there's another problem that must be solved.

"So... I just get on this? There's barely any space for me."

"Oh, I'll just scoot over a bit."

Uh... even with her moving up, it would still be a tight fit, the broom is not that long after all, but I guess I don't have a choice in the matter... I slung my legs over the broom and slowly lower myself on to it.

"You okay back there? Just grab on to the stick if you're slipping."

"Yeah, I'm good... I think." Ugh. I feel ridiculous, and making it worse, mounting a broom felt really-really uncomfortable. How can a healthy human male ride this thing? Maybe I should lean back a bit, ease the pressure on my... lower part. But then I wont have a a good balance and risk falling off. Hm... decision-decision... safety or comfort... normally I would pick safety but I don't like putting this much pressure on my-

"In that case, hang on tight cause here we go!"

"W-wait, I still need-."

She didn't wait for me to finish my sentence as she kicked the ground hard. Before I can react, we shot off the ground, quickly distancing our self from solid ground as the black-white magician girl put her broomstick at a 60 degree angle as we rapidly left solid ground behind. Considering the situation, it's safe to surmise that I'm barely holding on here!

Seeing my distress, Reimu quickly comes to the rescue. "Marisa, be careful, your passenger can't fly."

"Oh yeah, sorry 'bout that." She quickly brings the broom to an even level.

"T-that was too close..." I muttered. From take off to now, my sitting position have slipped backward by a few inches, a bit more and I would've fall of the broom. "P-please, don't do that... ever again..." I can feel the cold sweat in my face, but my hand is glued to the broom so I can't wipe them off.

"Heh, my bad..."

"Shirou, you okay?" The shrine maiden showed her first display of concerns towards me. She's flying just a metre away from us. Her close proximity gave me a small sense of comfort at having another person who can catch me in case I fall. It's not much of a comfort, but it's enough for me to lessen my deathly grip on the broom into just a really strong grip.

"Considering the fact that the only thing that's stopping me from plummeting to my death is a flying broomstick... not really, no." I answered her as I very carefully lessen my left grip to allow better blood circulation; It won't do to fall off because my hands gets numb.

"Hah... I guess we'll take it slow from here then."

"Please do." I'm not one to ask favours from people, but self preservation must take priority in cases such as this.

"Heee, so your name is Shirou?" The girl in front of me asked.

"Yeah..." Okay, I've regain some warmth on my left hand, now my right hand's turn...

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Marisa, your everyday average magician."

"... I'm Shirou, no last name... Sorry for the lacklustre introduction, but at the moment the fear of falling outweighs all the courtesy and decency within me."

"No offence taken."

* * *

><p>The rest of the flight is quite peaceful.<p>

Actually, I'm not really paying attention. There's this one time where I almost slipped off the broom, so I decided to close my eyes lest I started feeling another pull of the ground.

I can hear Reimu and Marisa chatting, mostly Marisa making an animated offhand comment in which Reimu replied disinterestedly. I can't understand their conversation so I decided to just tune out the incoming girl talk from my ear and focus on holding on to the broom.

"Hey Shirou."

I peeked with one eye when Marisa called me.

"You wanna have a danmaku match with me sometime?"

That's an unfamiliar term for me. "What's a danmaku?"

"It's the thing you were doing with Reimu yesterday, you don't remember?"

Let's see... my interaction with Reimu yesterday is mostly trying to survive while being blasted by her, so I doubt anything aside from total memory loss would make me forget of yesterday's ordeal. So is danmaku is the act of gunning someone down with energy bullets? "How could I forget? The pain is quite memorable after all."

"You make it sounded like I'm the bad guy." Reimu scoffed in annoyance at my comment.

"Nah, that's just you." I ignore her look of indignation as I turn back toward Marisa. "Well, I don't mind, but last time I check, I get my ass kicked easily."

"That was your first time, and you didn't do too bad either. Yukari said you could be pretty good at it given enough practice."

"She said that?"

"Yes, weren't you paying attention yesterday?"

"My memory is a bit foggy during that conversation." All I remember is being told that I won't disappear out of existence. The rest is blank.

"Oh yeah, you got swept up with Suika's drinking... I must say, that's the funniest thing I've seen in a long while, especially the way you just passed out while standing up."

Reimu chooses that time to speak up. "If you're having fun then next time you can help me clean up." Dammit, we walked right into that one.

"I'll pass"

"Sorry..." I don't remember much but I guess I must've left quite a mess in my drunken stupor judging by Reimu's tone. The shrine maiden just shook her head, obviously annoyed at us. Anyway, back to the more important stuff. "So what did Yukari say? Did she explained how I can make that glowy ball thingy?"

"That glowy ball thingy is a danmaku bullet. And yeah, according to her, you can copy your opponent's bullets in a danmaku. Which is an awesome thing by the way."

Okay, that does sound interesting. As much as I'm worried about my existence problem, being able to shoot energy bullets does sound cool. Though I have to wonder about the copying thing. "Is it okay for me to do that? Won't the person I'm copying get offended?"

Marisa paused as she adopts a thinking pose. It seems she didn't think it that far ahead. "Well, if it's me, as long as you're careful with it I don't really mind. Beside, it would be fun to go against someone with my ability, it'll be like fighting myself." She sounded absolutely giddy at the prospect. Still though, just in case, I probably should ask for permission first before doing this copy thing.

"So how do I do this copy thing?"

"Easy, just get shot by danmaku bullets."

"Say what!"

Reimu chooses that time to smack Marisa in the head. "Haa... she doesn't mean taking the shot directly. As long a bullet is fired nearby, your body will start changing according to the energy residue from the bullet. Outside of Danmaku, Yukari estimates about an hour before your body reverts back to normal, so in that manner, you're still a human." Reimu added her own voice into the conversation.

That's a lot of important information. She must've paid more attention to yesterday's conversation than Marisa; though I have to wonder whether she did it because of her curiosity or if she actually worries about me. Though the latter seems very unlikely judging by how she treats me.

"Well, that's good to know." Not only do I not have to get shot to 'copy' stuff, I still classify as a human. What's not to like?

"It's not."

"Huh?"

"I thought the reason she gave you that ability is so you can protect yourself from some of the more violent youkai. But that ability won't do you any good if you're attacked outside of danmaku."

"So?"

"She's up to something... again"

"..."

"... Don't worry, she's not one to intentionally hurt someone... the best thing you can do now is wait until she decides to say more."

"That's true I guess."

"Enough about the depressing stuff." The black and white magician interjected. " When do you wanna have a danmaku with me? Wanna try it now?"

I think there are kids back at the orphanage who have more tact that this magician. Just how blunt can one be? And on that note, how could she be so carefree toward herself and other people? We were having having a serious conversation about my future well-fare here, normally people don't just blatantly change away from an important subject like that.

Meh, whatever... thinking about that just makes me too serious to enjoy life anyway.

"Not right now, I still don't know how to fire a bullet..."

"It's easy. All you got to do is concentrate, aim at the person you wanna blast, then fire away."

Concentrate? While dodging a storm of bullet? That sounds tough. "How do I do that exactly?"

"Hm... Think about hitting the person you wanna hit. Think of them as someone you don't like then imagine the bullets blasting through them"

And that doesn't sounds tough at all. "Seriously? You just imagine it? Doesn't that sounded a bit too... simplistic?" If everyone can fire a magic bullet by doing that, there would be a lot more dead people in this world. I throw a questioning look toward Reimu; Is that for real?

"She's a special case..." Her reply is an exasperated sigh as she shrugs lightly.

"I see..."But I did notice that she didn't deny that theory. Does that means this magician in front of me can blast people just by imagining it in her head? In that case then I'm glad that she's such a carefree person.

Still, this danmaku thing does sounded interesting, but I should learn as much as I can about it before I try it again. After all, a one sided fight isn't my thing, especially since I'm the one getting beat up. "So... what are the rules?"

"Glad you're interested. For rules you can just ask Reimu, she's the one that..."

*Whoosh*

A gust of wind slammed right into us, causing the broomstick to start wildly swaying around.

"Ayayayaya, there you are, I've been looking all over for you." A chirpy voice is heard in the area as an intruder makes herself known, though I was too busy hanging on for dear life here to actually look at her.

"Aya! Just what do you think you're doing?" Reimu is quick to scold to newcomer.

"A scoop of course! I passed by a certain little oni yesterday and she told me something very interesting." The newcomer flapped her black wings as she approached the group.

"Dammit Suika..." Reimu cursed under her breath.

"I'm guessing that's him? My, isn't he an affectionate one." The unknown girl commented as she observed the sight in front of her.

"... That's just him being scared out of his mind"

"Oi, let go! We're not gonna fall any more." Marisa unsuccessfully attempted to pry the pair of arms that have made their way around her in a deathly grip.

During the sudden turbulence, I failed to maintain my grip and almost get thrown clear off on the broom. In fact, I was left hanging in mid-air for a split second when the broom suddenly jolted down. In my desperation to stay on, I grabbed on to the closest thing I could reach and held on to it, hard. Which is why I'm currently clinging onto Marisa as if my life depends on it. "Y-y-yeah... J-just a second... as soon as my hands stopped s-s-s-shaking..."

"What? He can't fly or something?" The new girl asked Reimu.

"Pretty much."

"Oh..."

* * *

><p>"I'm really sorry about that."<p>

"I-I-it's fine..." It took me quite a while before I managed to pry free of Marisa. I probably shouldn't grab on to her like that, but uh... It's not like I was aware of what I was doing, I was THAT close to falling off...

"So I take it now is a bad time for an interview?" The newcomer once again state her intention towards me.

"Considering my nerve is still recovering? Can't this wait until we hit solid ground... please...?" I personally have nothing against it, but I doubt I can answer her in a clear state of mind right now.

"I guess I can wait for a bit. In the meantime though..." Her black wings flapped once as she performs a small barrel roll toward Reimu. "So, how did this outsider come into Gensokyo? Is it true that he tried to out drink an oni? Is the rumour that he spent the night at your shrine is also true?" A string of questions, all directly aimed at Reimu.

"Just where did you get that last one?"

"I've done my research."

Under the expectant gaze, Reimu lets out a big sigh before she starts talking. "Hah... Yukari brought him here, yes he tried to out drink an oni, and yes he spent the night at the shrine as he recovered from the hangover."

"Nice, very nice."

* Scribble-scribble*

The new girl is happily writing on a small notepad that she pulls out of nowhere.

"For the last one, nothing happened, and the reason I let him stay is because he's got nowhere to go and it was already late when he woke up from his drinking induced coma."

"Sure-sure, all right."

*Scribble-scribble*

"... You're not even listening are you?"

"Hm... yeah"

*Scribble-scribble*

"Just don't write anything too weird again, I want to keep his existence a secret until we figure out why Yukari brought him here."

"Heh" A small chuckle escaped from Marisa as she shifted slightly so she can face the other two girls. "Funny you should mention existence-daze. Because you know..."

"ESPECIALLY that one!" Reimu abruptly interrupted that sentence before it even formed. Though her way to keep it down seems to have attracted more attention from the other girl.

And like a moth drawn to light, the girl pounces on Reimu. Figuratively of course; In reality she just flied really close towards Reimu with a predatory gleam in her eyes, as if she found a juicy target, ready to be devoured. "Ooh, I sense a story here, care to elaborate?"

"Dammit. Like I just said, we're keeping a lid on it for now."

"Come on, this sounds really big, it's not like you can keep it a secret forever."

"Well, this one should be kept hidden for as long as it can!"

"Please..."

"No."

"Just a hint?"

"I said no."

The two start bickering as either girl refuses to back down. I already pegged Reimu as stubborn, but this new girl is keeping up with the shrine maiden's stubbornness by being ridiculously persistent. The bickering lasts for a while before a tie breaker is suggested by the girl with the black wing. "Hm... It seems we have a dispute on our hand. Should we settle this with a round of danmaku?"

I perked up at the mention of danmaku.

"Uu... Fine, bring it on! Marisa, you go on ahead to the village, I'll catch up."

"No, Wait. I want to see."

"S-Shirou?"

Reimu is clearly not happy with my sudden request and it seems like she's going to complain, but before she can voice her displeasure Marisa already added her own opinion. "It's fine right? Having him watch a danmaku is way better than having someone explains it to him" Well its not much of an opinion more like a statement that doesn't take no for an answer. In fact, she didn't even wait for an answer. "We'll be watching from over there. Put on a good show okay?"

"And don't take too long... I'm starting to get airsick..."

"You can get sick of air?"

"No-no, it's the being high up in the air sick. It's a common problem for people who don't spend their time flying around."

* * *

><p>Reimu shakes her head as she watch her friend and the newcomer drifted away as they banter lightly.<p>

"Really those two..."

"Quite a friendly character isn't he? The black-white magician seems to have taken a liking to him."

"Probably."

"Does that makes you jealous?"

"Aya..."

"That would make a good story you know. Friendship breaks apart as a man enters their life. It's a-Whoa!"The girl barely managed to moved out the way as a stream of bullets went flying at her.

"If you're not going to start, then I'll start."

"Ayayayaya... I suppose I should get serious then..."

* * *

><p>I watch with bated breath as the two combatant began their fight.<p>

"Wow..."

"So what do you think? This is how a danmaku is done."

It's quite breath taking for sure.

The two of them rarely fire a bullet at each other, instead they scattered their attacks all over the area. The attacks seem indiscriminate at where they're firing, but the intricate patterns and complexity of the bullets paths makes out a beautiful, if deadly sight.

It only been a few seconds since the fight began, but the whole area is already covered with multi-coloured bullets. And through it all, I can see two figures dashing all over the place as they gracefully flew around the field of bullets.

"This is so awesome..."

Reimu swirling around the air as she unleash a hail of bullets toward her enemies. I notice that there are a lot more bullets compared to yesterday's fiasco. So she really was holding back when she was trying to turn me into a pin cushion during yesterday's event.

"So they're doing this because because they can't agree on something?"

"Well, one of the rules of danmaku is that the winner is always right. so it's good for solving that kind of situation."

"Winner takes all huh... so how do you win exactly?"

"It varies, normally the first to land a solid hit on the opponent wins. But sometimes we just do it until the others can't get back up any more."

"Okay... and danmaku doesn't kill right?" Reimu says something like that right before she start shooting at me. If that's the case, then this danmaku thing seems like a pretty sweet deal. Not only it seems fun, it also got a practical use for it.

Marisa nodded eagerly, though her eyes are still locked on to the match in front of us. "Yeah. After all, it's more about showing off than fighting. There are special conditions placed on the spell cards that prevent any fatal wounds."

"Spell card?"

"You know, the big ones. Yesterday Reimu hits you with one of hers, remember?"

The memory of being surrounded by a ton of white bullets comes to mind. "Oh... that... I doubt I'll be forgetting that one any time soon." I can where Marisa is going with this though. In term of games, I would classify spell cards as a powerful special skill that deals a lot of damage to the enemy. Considering the rule of danmaku, it translates to a really hard to evade skill that is used to gain an edge over the opponent.

"Hey, take a look, Aya's using one."

Oh, I wanna see! I'm tempted to ask Marisa to go a bit closer, but it could be dangerous so I better not. Still, at this range, I can still see the black winged girl pulled something out of her sleeves. I can't hear what she says after that, but the effect are pretty hard to miss as she suddenly streaked forward in a speed that is so ridiculous that she left behind after-images.

My awe is broken by a concerned voice. "Uh-oh, not good... hang on!"

I barely have time to tighten my grip on the broom before a violent gust of wind slammed right at us. This one is much stronger than the previous one.

"What the heck is going on?"

"Aya's **Illusionary Road**! She moves so fast she causes wind pressure all over the place."

"This would be so cool if I was watching from solid ground. Can you get us out of here?"

"I could, but I'm busy keeping us stable so you don't fall off!"

"Stable's good!"

Out of the corner of my eyes I can see the blurry figure that is zooming all over the place at a ridiculously high-speed while unleashing a hail of bullets towards Reimu.

Come on Reimu... just beat her already!

* * *

><p>It took a while, but the match ended with an overwhelming victory for Reimu. Moving at Mach-speed does not give much advantage when one is surrounded by dozens of high speed homing bullets. Mach-speed is also useless when one is hit by a bind in mid-air, which completely prevented any movement at all.<p>

With their match finished, the victor and loser makes their way to their spectator.

"Ayayayaya... That's just brutal..."

"That's what you get for putting your nose where it doesn't belong"

"All right... I'll drop it for now... at least for a few days"

"Hah... I should've expected that..."

Marisa greeted them as they arrived within speaking distance. "Took you long enough"

"Hah... It's only been a few minutes and... what's he doing?"

"Oh my, the outsider is being overly affectionate with the black-white magician again!"

"Nah, we were hit by another turbulence thanks to that Illusionary Road of yours. And now he's stuck like this again"

"Uu... I feel sick..."

"Oh, my bad. I completely forget about that. Sorry, he-he"

"Anyway, let's keep going, we've run into too much delays already"

"Where're you going?"

"Well, before your interruption, we were on the way to the village"

"Oh, will he be staying there?"

"That's the plan"

"Mind if I tag along? He did promise me an interview when we get there"

"He never promised you anything"

"He said he don't mind being interviewed once he landed back on ground, I'm planning to take on that offer"

"Aya..."

"Don't worry, I'll stay away from that 'secret' thing you mentioned for now. I swear on my reporter honour"

"... Fine, I don't care any more... By the way, how long are you gonna be clinging on to her?"

I really should let Marisa go now, but I'm afraid that if I move right now, something bad might happen. "I.. I think I'm gonna hurl..."

There's a few seconds of silence as the the three girls slowly digested what I just said. The silence is quickly broken by the one that will be affected the most if what I just said should come to pass. "Say what! Don't you dare throw up on me" Marisa yelled out as she tried to scoot away from me. unfortunately for her, I still have a strong grip on her since I'm using her as a leaning post to steady myself.

"...Yelling's not helping..." I hissed out. Dammit, all the shaking is making it worse. If nothing's done I really will throw up.

"Fine, then close your eyes and hold on tight. I'm kicking it up a notch"

"Marisa, I don't think-" Reimu tried to interject but she's promptly ignored by the magician.

"Now Close your mouth and swallow your spit, cause here we go!" Before I can react, the broom shot out like a jet. I don't have to open my eyes to know that we're moving really damn fast. The sudden increase of vertigo isn't helping toward my condition at all, in fact, it's making it worse. I doubt I can hold it in for much longer...

"I'll 'Spark' you if you throw up on me!"

* * *

><p>"Blurgh!"<p>

I leaned on the tree as I emptied the content of my stomach.

The moment Marisa landed I literally rolled off the broom before slowly and carefully move away to do the deed.

I only manages 4 steps before I lose it.

"Urgh... the next time I ride on a broomstick would be way to soon..." I weakly complained. Good thing I only had a light snack for today, else that would be such a waste of food considering everything in my stomach just came out at the wrong end of my digestive system.

"Aw, don't be such a baby. I got you here safe and sound right?"

"... That is up to debate"

"He-he" Marisa seems pleased to herself that she manages to escape unscathed from this. What she didn't realize is how close she was to being vomited on. I actually had to swallowed it down twice thanks to her rough handling of the situation.

"That could've gone better" Reimu commented from a small distance away, repulsed by the vomiting. "Instead of running off like that why don't you just land so he can throw up first? That would be less hassle don't you think?"

"Or you could've gone a bit slower instead. I think he must've lost it because you were going too fast" The girl with the black wing added her own opinion.

The black-white magician smiled wryly as the other two girls make it clear on how she completely mishandled the situation. Faced with the scrutiny, Marisa quickly decided on a course of action. "Ahahaha... Anyway, I'm gonna bug Rinnosuke for a bit, so I'm heading off. See ya later Reimu, Shirou" The magician quickly flies away with her broom.

"She ran away..." Reimu sighed as she watches her fly away.

The other girl saw me wobbling towards them and approaches me. "Ayaya... you seems pretty out of it, will you be fine for my interview?"

"Just give me a minute or two and I'll be fine. By the way, who are you? You said you want an interview, so... a reporter?"

"That's correct, the name's Aya Shameimaru, proprietor of the one and only Bunbumaru Newspaper"

"You run a newspaper?"

"That's right! Care for a copy?"She shoves a folded piece of paper to my face before I can even say anything. She's certainly enthusiastic about her job... Can't hate someone like that.

"Okay... let's see..." I folded the paper open. For a newspaper it's only one page long with texts on both side of the paper. Well, quality over quantity I suppose, and no news is sometimes good news. Anyway, first article,'The Midwinter Moon's Great Explosion', fancy title, let's see now...

... Okay, the moon exploded... bla-bla-bla... fragments regather, yaddi-yadda... hm...

Is this really a newspaper? The article does contain news, but it's buried under layers of personal opinion that I think are pretty biased... and blunt... If I don't know that this is a newspaper, I probably would've assumed that I just read a page out of someone's diary.

Well? What do you think?"

"...It's... informative I suppose..." I guess it's okay as a newspaper, though it's much closer to a gossip rag that a newspaper.

"I really wish you stop giving me these papers... do you know how annoying it is to clean them up?"

"You might say that but you still read them don't you?"

"... I hate you..."

Aya expertly ignore the hateful dismissal. "So where are you two going?" She asked as she urges us to start walking.

Reimu glanced toward me to see how I'm doing, which I reply with a thumbs up; There's nothing else to throw up and I don't feel so sick anymore. "Keine's place, she should be done with the class about now" She replied as she start heading into the village.

I follow suit behind her. "A class? is she's a teacher?" I'm still a bit light-headed, but a quick walk should fix that easy.

"More or less. Follow me and don't wonder off, trying to find you would be a bother. Aya, keep an eye on him, if he does anything stupid you can bring him back to the Youkai mountain with you"

"What a generous offer, this reporter accepts!"

"... I'll be good"

* * *

><p>Nothing noteworthy as we make our way into the village. Reimu leisurely stroll through the place, giving me enough time to appreciate the place where I'll be living.<p>

The village clearly never went far past the feudal age era. There are many buildings in which I've only seen in history documentaries, though there are a few buildings with a touch of modern architecture; that two story building is shaped like an apartment building, and that diner looks very similar to a western fast food joint. It's an interesting mix without a hint of technology, but that's to be expected.

The people here is very friendly, I already received a few greetings from random passers-by. There's also a mix of youkai among the populace; I think they're youkai judging by the claws, or tails, or fangs, or other non human appendage. Interestingly enough, some of the youkai are polite enough to greet me as we walked pass each other.

"So, about that interview..." Aya's question took me out of my sight-seeing reverie. Oh snap, completely forgot about that.

"...I guess its fine, go ahead"

"All right, this is going to be the scoop of the month"

What's with the pitying look on your face Reimu? I already know I'm going to regret this, but I might as well get it over with. I don't think she'll ever leave me alone if I refuse.

"So, let's start with the basic, can you tell me your name and age?" She start her interview as we walk through the village.

"Shirou... I turned 17 last spring"

"Just Shirou? No family name?"

"I was an orphan, the lady that took me in gave my current name"

"I see, I see, well then Shirou, its okay if I call you Shirou right? I heard Yukari brought you here yesterday, what do you think of her?"

"I've only known her for an hour or two. She... seems like a good person, though I wish she'd ask for people's permission first before she does anything to them"

"Yes that's true. But you speak as if she did something to you, can you tell me?"

"Aside from dropping me here without any warning whatsoever... She did a few other things, mostly for her amusement I think..."

"She does that a lot; Though I'm impressed that you're not feeling much anger toward her"

"I doubt she'll even listen to me if I complain, so why bother?"

"Very true. She must've left quite an impression on you if you're already this complacent towards her"

"I guess?"

"Hm... Now can you tell me what do you think of Gensokyo?'

"I haven't seen everything yet, but it seems like a very nice place"

"That is good to know. It might've been a simple answer, but a lot of people would be glad to know that you think nicely of their home. Ah, speaking of home, it has come to my attention that you spent the night at the Hakurei Shrine last night"

"Well... yeah..."

"Is there anything you would like to say about your stay there? Like for example... your opinion of your host, the Hakurei shrine maiden?"

"Uh... She's right over there you know..."

"Don't mind her, unless of course, you're afraid your answer won't be accepted by her?" Aya seems very interested at my answer. I have to think this very carefully...

Honestly, I AM scared that Reimu won't take the criticism very well. We just met yesterday but our first meeting already left quite an impression on me, so I do have a loose grasp on her personality. Let's see... she's brash, stubborn, hot-headed, a bit of a sloth, and judging by how angry she got when I blew up her donation box... a bit money hungry. Now how to say this without giving Reimu a reason to gave me another divine punishment?

"She's... an interesting girl... cheerful... and easygoing..." I carefully glance toward the shrine maiden to check her reaction; A dark frown marred her face, but there's nothing else to indicate that she's displeased at me. In fact, when she saw my eyes looking at her she lets out a tiny sigh as she shakes her head lightly.

Does that mean I'm not in danger of being blasted?

"Is that so? Well I suppose that's one way to look at her" Aya sounded disappointed, but she jots down my answer in her notepad anyway.

"Now hold on one sec. Just what is that suppose to mean?" Reimu's disdain is all but evaporated as she voiced her complaint, her voice rising at the not so subtle jab coming from the reporter.

"There are worse way to describe someone's negative traits" The jab has been upgraded into a punch! This reporter doesn't seem to know the meaning of fear as she undauntedly taunted the shrine maiden who is becoming redder in anger.

"... Are you asking to be exorcised?" Reimu is positively fuming. By this point I had already taken at least 10 steps back to avoid the potential danger.

The reporter seems to have finally notice the growing danger as she flips her notepad close and puts it back in her sleeves. "Ayayaya, I think it's time for this reporter to flee the scene, we'll continue this interview some other time okay?" Her wings spread out before with a mighty flap, she shot upward like a rocket. Wow, from zero to really damn fast in .5 seconds, how cool is that?

"Grr... damned crow..." Reimu openly glared at where the reporter girl disappeared out of sight.

"Wow, that was really fast. She's a youkai right? What kind of youkai is she?"

A gust of wind slammed into me from behind as I asked that question.

*Snap-Click*

I heard the sound of a camera. Turning around I saw the same reporter girl who just flew away hovering a few metres away from me.

"Almost forget the picture. By the way, I'm a crow tengu, can't you tell by the wings?"

"... To be honest, not really..."

"AYAAA!"

"Until next time"

And she blast off again, just in time to avoid the danmaku bullets that are unleashed toward her by an angry shrine maiden.

* * *

><p>There's no more interruption after that even, in fact, a number of villagers give us a wide berth after Reimu opened fire in the middle of the village.<p>

After about 15 minutes of walking around the village, the shrine maiden finally comes to a stop in front of a building. This one is a bit bigger than the one we passed on the way, it probably belongs to someone important. She knocks on the wooden door and there's only a short wait before a reply is heard.

"Coming~~"

With a small rattle the wooden door slide open and a girl appear from inside the house. She seemed surprised for a second when she saw who her visitor is. "Oh? Reimu-san? I haven't seen you in a while, can I help you with anything?"

"Yeah, Yukari mentioned that someone around the village can help me with a certain... incident. That means it's either you, Rinnosuke or Hieda. But I figured you seem to be the most likely candidate"

"Well... I did meet the gap youkai a few days ago. She mentions a new resident for the village and asked me to get a place for them to stay"

I can hear Reimu grumbling under her breath before she grab my collar and dragged me between her and the girl. "Great, meet that new resident"

"Oh? I never saw him before, who is this?"

"Someone that Yukari brought from the outside world yesterday" Reimu gave out a simple answer which apparently speaks volume to the girl in front of me.

"From the outside world? So he'll be living in the village from now on?"

"That's the plan"

"Hm..." She lightly brushed her long hair back as she looks at me with dubious eyes, probably trying to figure out what kind of person I am. Seriously, not counting the passing villagers, this is the second time in an hour that I'm put under heavy scrutiny from someone I don't know.

Time to remedy that. "Good afternoon. My name's Shirou. It's nice to meet you" Like the matron always say, first impression speak in volumes, so be polite and respectful.

It seems to be effective as the girl eyes softened before she gave me a polite bow. "Keine Kamishirasawa, nice to meet you too Shirou-san" She replied.

I like her, unlike the others I've met so far, she seems like a genuinely nice person. Though her surname is quite a handful to say let alone remember. Calling her Kamishi...I can't even remember it any more. Is there a better way to address her?

"You're a teacher right? So... Keine-Sensei?" It's a roundabout way to bypass her surname, but this should be fine right?

"That is fine. I wish my students were as perceptive as you Shirou-san" Uwah, a megawatt smile! So bright! Without any doubt, this person is one of the nicest person I've ever met in my entire life, just second to the matron.

"Come then, follow me. I'll show you the place; it's on the outskirts of the village, not too far from here"

* * *

><p>Keine leads us into a square shaped building just a few minutes away from her place. Without much preamble, she opens the slider door, letting me and Reimu got a good look inside.<p>

"Well? what do you think?" She nervously asked.

"... Not a bad place. Though I could probably give a more honest opinion once the place is cleaned up a bit..." Cobwebs, dust pile, another dust pile, and even more dust piles. I lightly run a finger through the nearby wall and manage to scoop up a one inch dust layer. Basically, the place is a mess, and that's putting it lightly.

"I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting you to show up so soon" Keine apologize as she head inside the house and start opening the windows.

I follow suite as I make my way inside. "It's fine, but when was the last time anyone actually lived here? There's at least a year's worth of dust in here"

"Well... it used to be a storage shack before it got rebuilt as a residence. But no one has ever actually lived in here so..." She stops talking as a gust of wind from the opened window manages to slip into the house. The dust cloud that formed soon after quickly forced Keine to make a tactical retreat away from the windows.

A storage shack huh? That explain why the place is shaped like a double layered square stacked together. There's even a step ladder on the right side of the room which I assume leads to the second floor of the warehouse turned house. "It's fine. Nothing a few hours of effort can't fix. Can I borrow anything to clean the place up?"

Keine seems surprised at my request.. "You're going to... Uh, I'll see what I can find" She quickly mumbled as she exited the place.

I also make my way out; There's no use standing around inside building up dust.

Reimu looked at me funny as I stepped out. "You're actually going to clean up all this by yourself?" She incredulously asked. Come to think of it, she never went inside at all.

"Yeah. You wanna help?"

"... No way"

We chatted outside for a while, only stopping when I went inside the house again to open a window on the second floor. I almost suffocate as I make my way out after that, but it's better to do this now instead of later. The longer the house has air circulating through, the easier I'll breath when I start cleaning.

Keine returns a few minutes after I finish coughing out the dust from my lung.

She place down a number of items next to the doorway. "I've borrowed some cleaning supplies from the neighbours. These should be enough to clean the place up"

"Thanks"

"Um... Unfortunately, I already have a previous appointment I must keep, so I won't be able to help you with the clean up. Maybe if you'll do it tomorrow...?"

Well, I did suddenly declare that I'll start the cleaning today, and I doubt she keep her schedule opens just in case a stranger cleans needs help to clean up his house "No worries, I can do this myself. The sooner I start the sooner I finish right?"

"W-well in that case, I'll take my leave. When you finish cleaning, just give these back to me and I'll return them to their owners"

"Sure thing"

"Good luck" Keine gave me an apologetic smile before she turns around and start heading back into the village.

"I'll be going also. I also have things to do" Reimu also excuses herself, unlike Keine though, her words doesn't have much weight at all, especially with the way she avoided eye contact with me. I guess she just wants to run away from helping me clean up while she herself have nothing to do for the day.

If she doesn't want to do it then I shouldn't force her then. "Okay, thanks for the help Reimu"

"Good luck with the cleaning" She waved good bye as she flies away, leaving me alone for the first time ever since I got here. I would be lying if I say I'm not worried, but there's no use thinking too much about it, so I might as well start with the task at hand.

Let's see what Keine got me; A broom, feather duster a cleaning rag, and a bucket. Very basic cleaning gear but it'll do, and I saw a well not far from here so I can get water from it when I need to start wiping. For now, let's start with the feather duster.

"It's just you and me, dirty house... Bring it on"

Armed and ready, I entered the house once again.

* * *

><p>Its way past nightfall by the time Reimu stopped by my house again.<p>

By that time, I've already swabbed the floor, cleaned the cobwebs, dusted the furniture, aired an old futon I found on the shelves, cleaned the pots I found in the kitchen shelve, and lit small fire in the fireplace. Basically, the house cleaning has been completed.

"I can't believe you actually cleaned the whole place by yourself; your household skill must be as good as a certain head maid..." Reimu muttered in amazement as she look around the now clean house.

"It was a hard fight, but I still prevailed!" I strike a heroic pose with my current armament.

"Lower the broom, you're embarrassing yourself"

"He-he... So, what brings you here?"

"I was going to offer you to stay at the shrine again. But since you actually finish cleaning up, I guess I was worried for nothing"

"If you were worried you could've helped me clean up earlier"

"..."

"... Right, never mind"

"Hah... I guess I'm outta here then"

"Okay, see ya"

"Oh wait, before I forgot"

"Hm?"

"Just a warning. The village and the area nearby are protected so no hungry youkai can get close. If you step foot outside the village's protection, you're fair game for any hungry youkai. Remember, outside of danmaku, you're just a normal human, and some of these youkai would prefer to eat you over danmaku"

"...I'll keep that in mind"

"Good, don't want Yukari chewing me out if you died under my watch... not to mention you still have to replace my donation box"

"Heh, don't worry, I'll be careful. And I'll get your donation box as soon as I can"

"... All right, I'll see you then"

"Later Reimu"

With a small nod, the shrine maiden flies away into the night sky. I guess she does worries about me considering that she stop by this late at night... Speaking of late... all that work really tired me out... I'll just snack on a few apples and then call it a day... though I gotta clean up first... and get a change of clothes... There's no bathroom in this place so I guess I'll just wash myself with a wet tower. Now where did I put my bag...?

* * *

><p><strong>And that's chapter 2 done. What do you all think? Is it any good? Leave a review so I can make this story better.<strong>

**Profile Update:**

**Marisa Kirisame**

**An Ordinary Black Magician**

Shirou's Note: Well, she's a very cheerful girl, though I wish she'd think more before she acted. She seems very interested in going against me in a danmaku match, though judging by her hasty personality, I doubt it'll be long before she'll rain danmaku bullets all over me. I better start preparing for when that day comes...

**Aya Shameimaru**

**Crow of Wind and Rain**

Shirou's Note: She can move really fast! That kind of speed can outrun a bullet! Anyway, she promised that she'll interview me again soon, so I better start preparing my answers starting from now. I've seen how she twisted and turned the news in her article was, and I don't want the same thing happen to me.

**Keine Kamishirasawa**

**?**

Shirou's Note: I like her, she seems like a very nice person. Very friendly too. Got to remember to return the cleaning supplies to her, I'll do it tomorrow I guess.


	3. Day 3: I see dead people!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**AN: I really need a beta reader... This chapter went through multiple rewrite and an extensive research on Youtube. Please leave a review on the good and bad so I can keep improving my writing. **

**PS: I try making it cleaner that the previous chapter, which is the main reason for the delay. I think this is better than the previous one, though I know I still haven't fixed my grammar problem. Engrish grammar seems to have eluded my personal intellect, which is making it hard for me to write a structured story. Sorry in advance for anything bad.**

**PPS: Wrathkal, I'm borrowing a line from you in this chapter. Either thanks or sorry or both in advance.**

**Without further a due, I present to you chapter 3 of my story.**

**Day 3: I see dead people! (One guess on what's happening on this chapter)**

* * *

><p>What a great morning; the birds are chirping, the village a bustling, children are laughing, the shop owners doing the business... I wish they would all just shut up and let me go back to sleep, but the probability of that happening is pretty much zero. Might as well get up now...<p>

My body protested as I force them to be active, but their protest is soon silenced as I start doing a few morning stretches.

Okay, plan for the day; Check out the village, look for a job and then find someplace to eat... Wait, scratch that last one, I don't have any money. Guess I'll stick with eating apples for now. There's not much left, but if I ration it, it should last till tomorrow.

So priority number one is finding a source of income, which means I need a job. I wonder if there's anything around here that is similar to the night club I used to work at? I got years of experience behind me so I know I can do a good job. But then again, maybe that's not such a good idea; I doubt the people here will be the same as the boss and the others.

Haah... I missed the boss. I even miss his random wise ass nonsense he keeps spouting out...

Anyway, time to head out! Like the boss always says, 'Move your lazy ass so the universe won't kick it!'

Letting the old familiar saying echoed in my head, I make my way to the door, ready to tackle this new world with everything I got.

"Hm?"As I head to the door my eyes landed on a pile of cleaning tools stacked against the wall next to the door.

Oh yeah, I forgot about these...

I better return it before anything else.

* * *

><p>Keine's place isn't that far from my place, so getting there is not a problem. But that doesn't mean it was a smooth trip either, as I manage to run into a problem just a few minutes after I left home. Well... it's less of a problem more like a self realization; Youkais makes me nervous, perhaps even downright scared. I was fine before when Reimu was with me, but now that I'm alone, it's a completely different story. The walk to Keine's place only takes 15 minutes at the most, but that short time span felt like hours to me as I keep tensing up every time I see something inhuman.<p>

I guess I still haven't gotten used to seeing youkais just yet.

Anyway, I arrived at Keine's place with no problem, even while steering away from anyone with non-human appendages. Eager to see friendly face, I knock on the door. ... And five minutes later, I'm still not seeing any friendly face as no one answered the door.

Hm... Is she not home?

Well isn't this great? What am I suppose to do now? Maybe I should just go with the original idea and look around by myself... I think it'll be okay if I stick to wide open areas with lots of people...

"Hey there"

"Whoa!" I swear my heart just jumped as I did a quick turn about toward the voice.

An unfamiliar figure is standing behind me. "My apologies, did I frighten you?

Honestly, yes. I'm still not used to being near youkais, and judging by that furry ears and sharp fangs, you're a youkai. "N-no, it's my fault; I had a rough morning, so I'm a bit jumpy" I lied.

"Hm... all right. By perchance are you looking for that female teacher?"

"Well, yes"

"In that case you should look for her on the back. I think she's holding an outdoor class for today" The man youkai pointed towards a path on the side of the house. Following the direction pointed by the youkai's sharp nailed finger, I could see a few children sitting around in the grass, so Keine is most probably somewhere around the back also.

"T-thanks for the help" I stuttered as I take a few steps back from the man youkai.

"No problem. Now run along kid"

"Uh... thanks once again" I give a quick bow before I quickly headed toward the side path, glancing backward a few times to make sure the youkai is not following.

I should be ashamed at the way I was acting. That youkai doesn't seem to hold any ill intention towards me and still can't bring myself to accept that. Got to do something about this before I offend someone and they decided to eat me for it. Ah dammit, stupid biased thought, go away!

As I mentally slap myself repeatedly, I come out to a small clearing behind the house.

True to the youkai's word, I saw Keine there, along with a number of children who is paying close attention to her as she speaks out toward them. A few heads nods as they takes in whatever knowledge she's imparting. Hm... Actually, upon closer inspection, the children seem to be bored out of their mind... The head nodding is not because they're paying close attention to her, but it's because they're dozing off.

She didn't notice me coming as I'm facing her back, but the children easily spotted me. "Sensei, who's that?"

There are more than a few relieved faces when Keine turned around to face me. Her eyes widened when she saw me, probably surprised at my appearance. "Shirou-san? What are you doing here?"

"Just passing by... and I'm also returning these" I answered as I show the cleaning tools in my hands.

"You finish cleaning the house already?" There's a small amount of awe in her voice at that revelation, she must've not expected me to finish the clean up already. What can I say, I'm just that awesome.

"I finish last night actually, I was thinking about returning it straight away, but it's already late at night. Not to mention that I'm still getting used to the place... it's quite different from my previous home"

"Oh, so how are you adjusting?"

My mind flashed back to the walk to the school. "... I'm getting there..."

One of the children raised his hand."Keine-sensei, who is this?"

"Kids, this is Shirou-san, he's new to the village"

And just like that I found myself being interrogated by a bunch of kids.

... This is kind of nostalgic. I used to deal with this situation on a daily basis back in the orphanage.

"Hey, one by one, I can't hear anything like this" I tried to calm them down.

The chatter turns to a few hushed whispers before a few kids raised their hand. Wow, so obedient, Keine must've taught them well.

I randomly picked one of the kids in the front. "Okay, you, go ahead"

"Where do you live?"

"Not far from here, it's the outermost house on the edge of the village, somewhere over there" I'm still directionless in this village, so I can only point the direction where I think my house is.

Another kid asked another question. "Hey, wanna play with us?"

"I don't mind"

A girl is jumping up and down, so I picked her next."Do you have a girlfriend?"

"That's a no, and aren't you a bit too young to be asking that kind of question?" Kids these days grow up so quickly...

A toddler no older than 7 catches my eye so I picked him next. "Do you like candy?"

"I could live without them"

And the question just keeps coming. "Are you stronger than my dad?"A boy asked me.

"I don't know... who's your dad?"

By this point the kid have settled on a working interrogation row in which each of them asked me a question one after another. Kids can get organised really fast with a proper motivation...

"Do you like Keine-sense?"

"She's a nice person, so I like her, but not like-like. We just met yesterday you know"

"Did you go to school also?"

"Situation prevented me to go, so no"

"Where did live before you came here?"

Urk, that's a dangerous question. "... Someplace very far..."

"Where's your mama?"

"... She didn't come along"

"Why did you leave?"

"Uh... Circumstances I guess..."

"Do you wanna go back?"

"I..." I stumbled for an answer. The line of questioning is getting harder and harder to answer as the subject of interest slowly drifted toward an area that I'm uncomfortable with.

"All right! Question time is over, now back to our lesson" Keine interrupted the Q&A session by stepping between me and the kids.

"Eeeeeeh?" A loud protest echoes from the kids, but a stern look from her and all the kids quieted down. Thanks Keine, really appreciate the save. I guess the wound hasn't healed yet if such an innocent question can easily wrench open the hole in my chest.

"Fu-fu-fu. Kids these days can be so brutally innocent"

My thought comes to an abrupt pause as I heard an amused voice coming from behind me. I know that voice. I've only heard it a few times but that haughty tune... it could only be..."Y-Yukari?"

"Yukari?" Even Keine also sounded surprise at the uninvited guest who shows up out of nowhere.

"Good evening, I do hope I'm not interrupting anything?" The blonde youkai greeted us, her parasol twirling behind her.

"S-sensei...?" The sight of Yukari popping out of her... black hole... gap thing... must've scared the children as they all scampered behind Keine. The fact that her lower body is still inside the gap is also adding to the fear factor.

"Yukari, you're scaring the children. Just what are you doing here?" Keine is positively fuming at the youkai in front of us.

"Nothing much... I just came to borrow something..." Yukari smiled toward me. Uh-oh. That can't be good.

Before I can react, another gap conveniently opened underneath me.

"WoAAhhh!"

"I'll return him later. Have a good day children"

* * *

><p>I fell down through the darkness before suddenly there was light again, and accompanying the light, a loud crack and a back pain as I landed roughly on the ground.<p>

"Ouch! Dammit Yukari" I complained as I pick myself up.

"Ara ara..." A pair of eyes is looking right at me. The owner of said eyes didn't care that her face is just inches from me, not that it matters because she's so close all I can see is a pair of red eyes.

"!" I quickly stepped back, surprised at the extreme breach of personal space. Now that my vision is no longer comprised of her eyes, I can now see a strange lady looking at me with a lazy smile on her face. She's quite a beauty; her blue kimono accentuates her figure perfectly, and the way the night light reflects of her pale skin...Wait a second, night? It was still bright a few seconds ago, and warmer too! This place is quite chilly! Where the heck am I now?

I was still considering what is going on when another black hole opened up and Yukari comes out of the gap. "So, what do you think of him Yuyuko?" Yukari asked as she comes out.

"Mm... he seems like a nice person" The strange lady answered her.

"Y-Yukari, where am I?" Glancing out the window, I can see a dark sky with no moon nor star decorating it, and yet there's still light coming from somewhere.

The pale lady in front of me answered my question instead. "You're in my house, silly" And said answer don't answer anything. This lady either got a screw loose on her head or she's just natural airhead.

"Uh... okay, thanks for having me here" Looking around, I'm in a fancy traditional room, like the one I've seen at those expensive hot springs retreat flyers. "... nice place" My mouth uttered those words before I can stop it.

The unknown lady seemed pleased at that. "Why thank you. How kind of you"

She seems nice, if not a bit ditzy. "So... why am I here?"

"Yukari told a bunch of interesting stuff about you, so I ask her to bring you here so I can see you"

"That's it?"

"That's it" Correction, she's not a bit ditzy, she's completely ditzy!

"...Thanks for being interested... can I go now?" Though I don't even know where I am. Which means my only way back home is through Yukari.

"Eh~~? But we're just about to eat; don't you want to join us?"

That's... very tempting. I honestly am starting to get sick of apples. "... I guess I could stay for a bit. But, are you sure? I don't want to intrude or anything"

"It's fine. Food tastes better when you eat them with friends" The lady is literally bouncing in excitement, which also has the side effect of other part of her bouncing along; I quickly avert my gaze, it's rude to stare.

... She's bigger than most of the girls back at the club... Wah! Bad thoughts go away!

"Friends? But we just met..."

"Ah, you're right" A pair of cold hand wrapped around my hand in a handshake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Yuyuko Saigyoji. You're... Kuro? Right?"

"It's Shirou"

"All right then, let's go eat, I'm hungry" I think she just registers me as friend in her mind with that hasty introduction.

"Maybe we should eat in the veranda, food tastes better if eaten in the right environment" Yukari suggested.

"Ah you're right, we should do that. Youmu~~~~ I'm hungry~~~~" Saying that, pale lady turns around and... float right through a wall... a solid wall! That settles it! She's not human! But I never heard of a Youkai that can phase through wall like that. Just what is she? If I have to guess the first thing that came to mind would be that she is a...

No way. That impossible right? But with her pale skin and the way she's floating around...

...

"Yukari..."

"Yes?"

I dreadfully asked the question. "She's not a youkai is she?"

"No she's not"

I expected that answer but it still doesn't make it easier to swallow. "... Just where am I now?"

"Hey you two~ the food's getting ready, come on" Yuyuko cheerily calls out from where she left.

I did a double take at seeing her head poking out of the wall. Seeing her lack of solidity, my brain finnaly accepted the fact; Yuyuko is dead. She is a ghost! "Uh...Sure thing Saigyouji-san..."

"Uu..." She seemed upset, what did I say? She suddenly disappears from sight before a pair of cold hands wrapped around me.

"Yuyuko" I heard her voice coming from behind.

"H-huh?" Her body is cold! Ice cold! I want to move away but for some reason my body is frozen solid, unable to make even the slightest movement.

I felt a cold chill through my ones as the ghost lady phase through my body. "It's Yuyuko. Saigyouji-san makes me sounds old. I'm still a perky young spirit!" Her face is crunched up in what I think is a frown, a very harmless one at that.

Is she for real?

And just like that I suddenly felt like an idiot for even considering being scared of her.

* * *

><p>"Whoa..."<p>

The ghost lady got a really big garden, and the whole place is filled with cherry tree... That, and dead souls... There are soul wisp flying around he garden. A number of them are attracted to the lanterns placed around the garden which gave out a blue-ish purple glow. This place screams ethereal no matter how you look at it.

My breath frosted in air every time I breathe out, wisp are supposedly absorb heat from the living, apparently they also absorb heat from the environment. They must be the reason this place felt chilly even though it's mid-spring right now.

"This is so awesome... I'm not sure about the wisps, but damn what a view"

"Isn't it?" Yuyuko happily called out from the veranda.

As I look around the garden, a few wisps are passing close-by.

...Wonder what they felt like?

Curiosity peaking, I apprehensively raised a hand towards them.

"Yuyuko-sama, food's ready"

Surprised at the voice, and since I'm already tense myself, I accidently jerked my hand forward a bit too fast. Surprised at the sudden movement, the ball of lights quickly flew away from me.

"Shirou, stop playing with the dead, come here" Yukari scolded me.

... Did you have to word it like that? You make it sound like I'm doing something really bad. Then again, she is being literal about it... Guh, felt like I was just got caught with my hand in the cookie jar.

"All right, All right" I'm surprised at how fast I adapted to being around dead souls. But I can probably thank that to Yuyuko. After being near her for 3 minutes, the concept of ghost being scary just seemed ridiculous.

"Oh?" As I head back to the veranda, I saw a new girl next to Yuyuko and Yukari. It's a bit weird to see such a small girl carrying a food tray that is much larger than her, but the long katana strapped on her back speak volumes against her apparent frailness.

Our eyes met. "Yuyuko-sama, you didn't mention that there's another guest aside from Yukari-sama"

"We did? Oh yeah we did... He-he, I'm sorry, I completely forgot"

You forgot about me already? I'm only away from you for a few minutes at most!

"Yuyuko-sama..."

"Ahaha, don't mind it so much, c'mon let's eat"

Yeah! My stomach seconds that idea! These looks really good... plates upon plates are spread nicely on the veranda, each containing a huge amount of food. Is it really okay for me to eat these?

"If you're just going to stare at the food, Yuyuko will finish them all by herself" Yukari told me as she picked a plate for herself.

"R-right. Well, if you'll excuse me... thanks for the food"

* * *

><p>"Ah I'm full..."<p>

"Ah I'm full..."

I pat my slightly bulging stomach as I lie down on the wooden veranda, an action that mirrored my current host. Who'd thought that a lady, a dead one at that, can eat so much?

"I'm impressed, you ate almost as much as Yuyuko" Yukari commented. I don't think she ate much just now, wonder why?

"In my defence, that was my first real meal in two days" It's been a long time since I last stuff myself full, money was tight after all, especially after I lost my job.

"Yuyuko-sama, I brought tea" The girl from earlier reappears with a tray of tea. She carefully puts down the tray on the ground and offered one of the cups to Yuyuko.

"Thanks Youmu~" Yuyuko gladly take the offered tea.

"My pleasure. If you'll excuse me, I must return to my other duties" She bowed before she turns and start walking away.

Talk about dedication to her work. Did she even stay during lunch? I wasn't paying attention since I was too busy stuffing myself full before Yuyuko eats all the food. I watched her as she walks away...only to get glomped by Yuyuko from behind, effectively stopping her in her track. "Stay Youmu" Yuyuko ordered her.

"Y-Yuyuko-sama?"

"It's rude to walk away like that. Meet Shirou. He's new here, Yukari said he comes from outside the boundary"

The girl's eyes widened slightly at the information."R-really?"

"Yeah! Right Yukari?"

"That's right"

"Um... since you insist..."

"Yay"

I glance at her as she sat down a small distance away from me. Huh, what kind of job is she doing for her to be carrying that long katana? Is she a ghost also? But her skin is not as pale as Yuyuko and the way her face is flushed from embarrassment implies that she got blood that is rushing to her face. So maybe something else?

"So um...My name is Youmu Konpaku. I serve Yuyuko-sama here in Hakugyokurou" She bowed down low as she introduce herself.

Polite one ain't she? I mimic her greetings as I introduce myself to her. "Nice to meet you Konpaku-san"

"It's a pleasure Shirou-san"

"Uu..." Hm? Yuyuko seems upset about something. "That's no good" She suddenly declared.

"Huh?" What is she talking about now?

"I don't like that. Shirou should call Youmu Youmu, and Youmu should call Shirou Shirou"

"..." The heck? What kind of logic operates for this lady?

Youmu also seems perplexed, but it didn't last long before she lets out a resigned sigh."... I-if that's your wish... I will comply Yuyuko-sama"

"You're really okay with that?"

"Of course, I am Yuyuko-sama's servant, it is natural for me to follow her orders... Shirou" Wow, really? Just like that? Either Yuyuko is a slave driver or Youmu is just way too dedicated on her job... Judging by Yuyuko's behaviour so far, I think I have to go for the latter.

"All right then... Youmu"

Yuyuko nodded happily. "Yeah, that sounded so much better~~"

Whatever you say ghost lady, I really don't think I can win against that kind of flippant attitude of yours.

* * *

><p>Time passes, Yukari and Yuyuko seems to be in good term as they happily chatted. It's the first time I saw Yukari enjoying herself in such a normal way. As the two lady is busy talking with each other, that left me with just Youmu to talk to.<p>

"So, what exactly is your job here?" I asked her.

"I'm the gardener, aside from that, I also run errands when Yuyuko-sama needed something done"

"You take care of the garden here? Alone?"

"That's right"

"... That's... quite the job... considering I can't even see the edge of the garden..."

"I've gotten used to it"

Wow, this girl sure is dedicated to her work.

She probably won't be sitting down here having tea with us if Yuyuko didn't order her to. Just what did Yuyuko do to her to inspire this much loyalty? Maybe she-

A cold wind suddenly brushed my face.

Hm? Oh.

A wisp just flew nearby. This one seems to really like Youmu as it kept hovering around her. Youmu didn't seem to be bothered as she quietly keeps drinking her tea.

... My previously forgotten curiosity resurfaces.

I slowly raised my hand toward it.

It doesn't seem to notice my approach, and soon enough, my finger lightly graze its edge.

"!"

Whoa, it's cold... and fluffy too, like a marshmallow. If I'm not seeing this I probably would just think that I'm grasping air.

"...M...Myon..."

The way it softly glided away is kinda cute, but it seems curious enough as it didn't drifted too far away from my hand. I lifted a finger and lightly rub it as I would do to a newborn baby.

"Shirou, stop touching Youmu in strange places" I quickly withdrew my back at Yuyuko's admonishing. Touching Youmu? I was? Huh? Did I miss something?

"Uu... you're not supposed to touch that..."She's blushing rather heavily as she looks away from me.

... Okay? I think I'm missing something important here.

"That's unfair; Youmu never let me play with her ghost before"

I'm lost... completely... So she's a ghost... and that wisp earlier is her...so then what is this person in front of me?

...?

Curiosity getting the better of me, I raise a hand, extended my index finger, and lightly pinched the Youmu in front of me in the cheek.

"Hau!"

Hm... slightly cold, but it's solid, so she can't be a ghost right?

"S-s-shirou, w-what are you..."

"Oh, my bad..." I quickly withdraw my finger from her 'body'. And now, I have a really big question about this person in front of me "Are you really a ghost? Since when do they have a physical body? It... You... Doesn't feel dead..."

"Uu... I'm a half ghost... This is my human part, that one there is my ghost part"

Okay? How does that work? How can someone alive yet at the same time be dead? I didn't even know something like that exists! Wait, I probably shouldn't deny someone's existences like that. I don't need any karmic retribution upon my already undefined existence.

"Okay... I'm sorry... that was my bad... I think"

"Uu that was mean..." She looks like she's in the verge of crying.

Seeing the first drop of tears I quickly felt ashamed at what I've just done. "I'm really sorry!"

"Uu..." She's gonna cry! Matron would kill me if she ever finds out I make a girl cry! And then boss and the girls at the club would bring me back as a zombie and bury me alive six foot under concrete semen! What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?

I'm close to pulling my hair out when help comes from an unexpected source.

"Wah" Youmu is once again glomped by a cheery Yuyuko. The sudden glomping makes her stop tearing up. "Y-yes Yuyuko-sama?"

"Hey Youmu, listen to this. Yukari said Shirou can fight in danmaku"

"R-really? Is that true?" There's no small amount of astonishment and disbelief in Youmu's voice and face.

"Yukari..." I whined.

The youkai in particular seems amused at my very unhappy look. "Hm? Did I say something I shouldn't? Hey, there's an idea, why don't you and Youmu go for a round?"

"My... that sounded fun" Yuyuko quickly agrees.

"W-wait a minute. Last time I get into a danmaku I get beaten up ridiculously easy"

"Oh? But you created a bullet before, haven't you?"

"Yeah, one! And it went stray and destroyed Reimu's donation box. And you know how that ended, you were there!"

"I was, wasn't I...? I seem to recall you being subjected to a divine punishment if I remember correctly "

Ugh, that's a dirty blow to my pride. Yuyuko have both her hands clasped in front of her mouth to hide her laughter and Youmu is hiding her face behind her ghost half, which is not exactly working as I can still see her laughing through the semi transparent wisp.

"Don't worry; think of this as a learning experience, something that you require in spades"

"..."

"What's with the doubtful look? Trust me; it'll be fine"

* * *

><p>"Hah... might as well get this over with "Here I am standing in the middle of the cold weather, getting ready for what Yukari called an instructional danmaku tutorial.<p>

I'm a bit sceptical about it, but Youmu seems composed enough to not lose her temper like Reimu does. At the very least I'm not getting any dangerous vibes of her even though she's brandishing a weapon on her hand.

In a smooth motion, Youmu drew a shining blade out of its sheath. "Whenever you ready Shirou"

Damn that katana looked sharp. And she also got a shorter one sheathed behind her waist. "Go easy on me"

"I will. Now prepare yourself!" With the pre-battle courtesy done, Youmu swings her sword towards me and good dozen of bright green bullets shot out of her sword and towards me.

They're a bit faster than Reimu's, but it's less in quantity, so I can still evade them.

She did the same attack a few more times before she stops, as Yukari told her to in the beginning of the fight; She's too start off with a few light attack, before pausing to let me adapt. This lull in action is my cue to figure out how to make my own bullet. I wish Yukari told me something before instead of just saying good luck...

Let's see... to make a bullet... Yesterday a certain magician said I'm supposed to will it out or something like that, but her logic must've been flawed in some many ways as I don't feel any different from usually.

My search for inner power is interrupted by Youmu as she called out from across the yard. "Here I go again"

I have to jump away to dodge another salvo of bullets courtesy of Youmu. This time she swings her sword in rapid succession so I have to dodge multiple waves of bullets in a row.

I must've take too long as Youmu resumes her attack per Yukari's instruction.

Dammit. How does pressuring someone in a fight would help them figure out how to use their power? I swear if this is just Yukari messing around with me I'll... crap, I can't exactly do anything to her now can I... Ack, incoming!

I ducked just in time to dodge a bullet that would've hit me in the face.

Just what am I suppose to do here? Please tell me I don't have to start waving my hand randomly like when I was up against Reimu.

...

Actually... didn't Marisa say something else yesterday...? Hm... Pause that thought, more incoming, dodge first think later.

Youmu dashes around me as she releases a string of attacks, hoping to catch me in my blind spot. It's quite a bother for me as I have to keep track of where she is while dodging a hail of bullets coming from her sword.

Dammit, if only I can at least return fire, this would be so much easier. Can't I just copy what she's doing and get start firing stuff back at her.

... Wait. That's it. Copy!

Marisa said I copy stuff during danmaku. Maybe if I copied her movement I can gain a better understanding on how she fires a bullet? I don't have a weapon though... So I'll need to improvise... maybe that could work.

* * *

><p>"Hm... he's not doing too well is he?"<p>

"Not at all"

"Guess he still needs more time"

"Hey Yukari"

"Hm?"

"Do you like him?"

"What makes you think so?"

"I'm not sure~ you're just taking an awful lot of interest on him"

"Probably I am"

"Aww... you're not gonna tell are you?"

"Not in the slightest"

"Fine. Be that way. I hope Youmu turn him into mince meat and see how I care"

"Hm... I think it just get a bit harder for that to happen"

"Arara..."

* * *

><p>Holy crap it actually worked.<p>

Youmu's rapid assault is finally ended when she paused to evade three light greenish bullets I let out by swinging an old tree branch I snatch from one of the cherry tree.

It's not a sword, but it's good enough for swinging, and it seems to get the job done.

"Shirou, that was..."

I'm still not sure on how I fire those bullets, but I can feel something flowing from my body into the wood branch. "I'm a fast learner I guess "

I try another testing slash.

Hm, nothing appears when I'm not wishing for them to appear... in this sense, Marisa's advice got some truth in them.

"I see..." Her ghost half zoomed all around her, releasing a large amount of bullets that are spreading all over the place. "Then I'll stop holding back slightly"

She comes at me again as the fight began anew.

"Sure...Won't have it any other way"

* * *

><p>"My... they seems to be having fun"<p>

"True, he seems to treat danmaku as a game, and Youmu's probably having fun herself as this match is just a playful banter with nothing at stakes"

"Heee... I wanna play too, can I try him next?"

"You can't"

"Aww... why not?"

"It's fine with Youmu because she still got some life in her. But I doubt he could survive against you, and I mean this in the literal sense. One simply does not recover from being dead"

"Oh..."

"Don't feel bad about it, it wasn't your fault. The fault lies in me for that one"

"It is?"

"Yeah..."

"Can't you fix it?"

"... Not anymore, can't even figure out where to start"

"You mess up really bad didn't you? Then maybe you should help him out"

"Help him?"

"That's right. I think you owe him that much"

"Hm... If you say so, I probably could..."

"Well?"

"... Fine. I'll help him a bit on his danmaku. That tree branch he's swinging around is just plain embarrassing"

"I think it's cute"

"... Just this once I guess..."

A small gap opened up beside her as she reached inside it.

"Let's see... I think I have one stashed somewhere around here... if I tweak it a little bit and..."

* * *

><p>I'm not one to consider myself as a fighter, but damn I've missed this adrenaline rush. This excitement... the last time I felt like this is back in the club, when I trashed some guys in a business suit, which turn out to be the city mayor and his buddies. Of course that debacle ended up with me losing my job, but that's another story.<p>

I weaved through the incoming bullets as I return fire with my own. So far I've taken a few glancing blows, but they didn't hurt so much, just stings a bit.

This is so much fun!

Still, if there's one thing that ticked me off about this fight, it's the fact that Youmu can evade my attack way too easily. Sure my bullets are not as numerous as Youmu's, and it's not as fast, and it dissipates after just a few metres...

Okay I suck. Maybe if I shoot them closer...

A blur out on the corner of my eyes alerted me of Youmu's location amidst the hail of bullets. Wait, if she's already moving from there, then...

Ack! A bullet grazed my left shoulder. Ignoring the prickling feeling I quickly throw myself aside, just in time to dodge the rest of the bullets that is coming my way.

"That was too close..." I muttered as I picked myself from the ground.

"Your guard's down" Before I can react, Youmu's already next beside me. In the next second, the tree branch I was using is cleanly cut into pieces. "That's one for me" Youmu got a triumphant smile on her face as she quickly jumped back away from me before she starts unleashing the next wave of bullets.

Ah crud! She just robbed me of my weapon with a close range attack. So danmaku can also be done at close range... Anyway, time for me to grab another weapon. That tree branch over there is low enough for me to grab...

Before I can move a certain someone decides to intervene. "Aw, poor branch, it doesn't deserve that fate" The action paused as Yukari appeared beside me using one of her gaps.

"Can't this wait? We're in the middle of something here" I complained to her.

"Of course, don't let me stop your fun. But instead of a tree branch, why don't you use this instead" Something clattered to the ground beside her. "Have fun with that. And Youmu, stop being so nice with him "And with that, Yukari disappear into her gap once again.

Really, that woman... does she get off on mucking around other people's life? Wait, she probably is.

Anyway, what did she drop earlier?

I look around the area and quickly found what Yukari left behind.

No way! Is this what I think it is? I carefully picked it up. The weight seems right and the shape is exactly like the one Youmu have, albeit a bit shorter.

With shaky hand, I drew it out from its sheath. The gleaming blade hidden underneath the sheath is quick to erase any doubt I got left; Yukari just gave me a real katana!

Sure the edge is completely dulled... But it's not like I was planning on using it to cut anything... let alone people. So yeah, this is just perfect. Now if I can remember those kendo lessons from 10 years ago... Yeah, no way that's going to happen... Guess I'll just wing it from here.

"Well Shirou? Ready to go again?" Youmu is nice enough to give me time to admire my new weapon, but I guess it's time to get this danmaku match going again.

I drew the blade fully out of its sheathe. As soon as the blade leaves its container, I feel an unknown power surging through me and into the blade. This is different from when I was using that tree branch; I can actually feel something now.

"More than ready! It's not going to be as easy as before" I toss the sheath aside as I hold the katana with both hands.

"We'll see"

Her ghost half start releasing another storm of bullets.

Okay, same pattern as before. Just gotta keep my eyes on her, dodge her direct slash attacks, and keep an eye on the spread bullets released by her ghost half. Yeah, I can do this.

I move out of the way as a string of bullets impacted the ground where I was standing.

Okay, now let's see if this katana can do better than a dead tree branch... Okay when I worded it like that it sounded kind of lame...

Concentrating on the sword, I swung down, and just like that, the air in front of me is filled with a good dozen of bullets that came out from the tip of the blade.

Not expecting the amount of bullets heading her way makes Youmu faltered in her steps, but it only last for a split second as she quickly move out of the way.

As expected, she's just too fast for me to hit even like this.

I got to close the distance... but there's a storm of bullets all over the place courtesy of her ghost half...

Should I take the chance and gamble it? It's a long shot but it's better than being target practice... and if a drunken oni can do it, then I can probably do it also, Right?

Ah what the heck, I'll just go for it.

I dashed forward.

Youmu seemed surprised at my course of action, but she is quick to regain her though as she resumes her attacks again.

Diagonal right slash, go left. Vertical chop, go for the counter, she dodged, a quick sidestep. One of the slow spread bullets is approaching, easily dodged, a horizontal slash, throw a vertical one before quickly rolling out of the way.

For every successful dodge, I send my own attacks toward Youmu.

And she easily evades them all. Dammit I need to go faster...

Just as I finish that thought I can feel some kind of warmth covering my body. It started from my chest before it spread all the way through my body. My mind cleared up, my breathing calmed down, I no longer feel the strain from running around, and most importantly, time slowed down.

No, that's wrong. It's not time that slowed down. My mind and body are the one that's getting faster.

I can see Youmu moving to the left, her sword moving at a diagonal right angle. If I rushed her from the left she won't be able to hit me with her bullets.

I let my feet move, and suddenly I'm much closer to her. Close enough for me to strike at her with my sword.

"!" She seemed surprised. I got her now!

A loud clang reverberates through the ghostly garden as two metal blades clashed.

"How did you do that?" Youmu asked me. She's holding her sword in a reverse grip with her right hand.

"I... don't know" To be honest I'm also surprised; I just cover 20 feet in one second flat. Something a normal human cannot do.

"... nevertheless, you've almost landed a solid blow on me" She muttered.

Almost? Yeah right. She manages to correct her sword stance in a split second and then deftly parried my attack to the side, effectively evading the bullets I released at the moment our sword clashed.

She's leagues above me in pretty much everything.

"Mind if I get a bit more serious?"

"I'm gonna regret this, but bring it!"

Youmu smiled at my confident answer, and then without any warning, she pushes hard against me. In the one second that I'm off balance, she quickly drawn her other sword from it's sheathe before she swings both blades towards me.

The reverberating noise is a lot louder than the previous one. It was a really hard blow. It packed enough strength to sends me flying at least a good 10 meters away from her.

"Ouch..."

I slowly get back on my feet. Youmu is still standing at the same place as she re-sheathes her short sword.

She waits until I get back up before she slowly raises her sword before quickly making a wide horizontal cut in front of her. **"Human Realm Sword :Delusion of Enlightment" **With that one single swing, a 15 metre wide rift opened up in front of her. And through that rift, a ridiculous amount of bullets started pouring out.

This must be a spell card... It opened up a giant spacial rift that keeps releasing dozens of bullets though the tear. Thankfully the bullets traverse at a much slower speed compared to Youmu's previous bullets, in fact, these bullets are crawling slowly...

... Wait, where's Youmu? She disappeared right after-

A flash of green on the corner of my face is all the warning I got as I quickly tumble out of the way. There's a light indentation on the ground where I was standing courtesy of Youmu's bullets.

...She's over there? She was right in front of me a few seconds ago and now she's directly behind me now.

... I glance back at the bullets that are slowly creeping closer before facing Youmu again who has both her swords sheathed as she silently waits for my reaction.

"So... I'm trapped between you and the approaching bullets..."

"That would be the idea"

"Wow... this is gonna be a pain..."

She unsheathes her long sword once again before releasing a series of slashes ahead of her.

Unlike before, there are no bullets coming out of her swords, but the way the air start rippling are enough warning for me to know that something is coming.

I barely got out of the way when the air itself is being teared open by some sort of giant invisible ethereal blade.

"Really? That looked like it would really hurt. Does that kind of stuff also count as danmaku?"

"Of course, and don't worry, the force behind that attack is blunt, so you won't die"

"O-okay, but still, that... is one of the coolest thing I've ever seen I my life"

"T-thank you. Oh, watch your back"

"Oh, right..." Hah... So I'm trapped between Youmu's air tearing giant blade attack thing and the slow moving bullets from the rift behind me... Still, even though I know that the end is going to be painful, I can honestly say that I'm having the time of my life.

* * *

><p>"Ara-ara-ara. I'm jealous... I wanna play too"<p>

"He's quite the natural at this isn't he?"

"Youmu looks like she's having so much fun...Hey, Yukari, Shirou is a human right?"

"Last time I checked he is, why?"

"I dunno... I am starting to get this tingly feeling from him..."

"Yuyuko, please tell me you're not falling for him"

"That's rude, I'm not gonna fall on him"

"Okay... So? What are you feeling then?"

"I dunno, it's weird, it's like Youmu... but he's not Youmu, as Youmu is over there. See, he even got the same thing as Youmu now"

It took a while before Yukari figures out what Yuyuko is saying, but her eyes widened as she saw what she's talking about. "This is..."

* * *

><p>"Hah... Hah...Hah..." I can see the mist forming from my breath as I breathe heavily in this cold garden. I hate to admit this, but I'm tired as hell. I guess it's to be expected since I've been moving non-stop for a while now. Maybe it's time to call it quits before I actually took a direct hit from one of Youmu's big slash attack thing. My body is screaming in protest at the way I overworked them. And with the amount of sweat I've worked up, the cold weather is starting to get to me as I felt the chill all over my body.<p>

... Yeah... probably should call it quits.

Another voice cut through the air before I can voice my own. "All right kids. Play time is over" Yuyuko loudly announce the end of the match.

For once, thanks for butting in Yukari. Hah... I'm just gonna sit down now... too tired to move anymore...

"Shirou, are you okay?" Huh, Yukari actually showed some concern for once. Did I really look that crappy now?

"I'm fine, just a bit tired..." I answered her honestly.

"That wasn't what I was asking. Do you feel anything different?"

"Uh... well... I'm a bit cold... but that's it I guess"

"..."

"Okay, now you're starting to scare me. What's wrong?"

"...Why don't you... take a look for yourself? Here, let me get it for you" She reaches out to something behind me.

Brr... I suddenly felt a light prickling all over my body. It felt really weird...

"Now Shirou, stay calm and don't jump into any conclusion but..." Yukari's holding a barely transparent wisp inner hand. "Say hi to your ghost half..."

"..." That can't be right. There's no way such thing is possible right? I mean, if that wisp is my soul, then... And that's when I finally notice it; the white mist that is coming out of my mouth is being drawn to the wisp in Yukari's hand.

Okay, let's assume what Yukari said is true, in that case... "What the hell!" A number of wisp flies away at the sound of my voice.

"At least that's a very human like reaction" Yukari calmly said as she gave me a quick look-over.

My brain is a mess at this point. "W-what? This is...If this is out, then... I-I-I-I'm... Yukariiiii!"

"Why is it automatically my fault?"

"You're the one that played around with my existence!"

"That's harsh. You make it sounded like I'm the bad guy here"

"W-w-w-well... fix it then"

"Uh... I should... but I don't know how..."

"Yukariiiiiiiii...!"

"I think your existance received too much influence from Youmu, which cause your body to change. If it's the same with Reimu, then you should be back to normal in an hour or so... probably..." She sounded unsure herself, just how am I suppose to take comfort in that unreliable diagnosis" "Considering that Youmu is not completely alive... maybe..." She left the end of that sentence hanging in the air, but it's clear what she's trying to say. "Well, worst case scenario you'll still be half alive, so it's fine right?"

I got so many things to say to her, but none of them are going to help the situation. "... That's... just... swell..." My emotion just deflated like a balloon.

"Don't worry; it's just one possible outcome. You might be fine in the end" Yukari tries to reassure me.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one whose soul is wondering outside his body"

* * *

><p>"Yuyuko-sama, I brought your snacks" Youmu comes into the room carrying another large tray, this time it's filled with pinkish jelly cake wrapped in green leaves.<p>

"Yay, thanks Youmu"

"Shirou, stop pacing around, you're going to leave a mark on the floor" Yukari reprimanded me as she reaches for one of the sweet cakes.

Feeling apprehensive about my current condition, I've found myself unable to stand still. And it only got worse as the time goes by. "You can't blame me for being nervous. It's almost an hour you know"

"Have a mochi. Sweets always make me calm" The ghost lady said between bites.

"Yuyuko, you'he never been anxious about anything" Yukari calmly commented.

"How rude! I have my own worries you know"

"Like what?"

"Like what I'll be having for dinner. I can never decide on what to have for dinner" Yuyuko sagely nodded as she said that. Somehow, her answer does not surprise me at the least. This lady seems way too carefree to have any worries.

Hah... this waiting is really eating on my nerves... Making it worse, my ghost half is whizzing all around me. It seemed happy for some unknown reason. "Stop that. It's annoying" I swatted it away. It recoiled back before it lazily floated toward my head.

"Shirou's being a bully" Yuyuko scolded me.

"How is being angry at myself count as bullying?" My ghost half now rested on top of my head. Wow its cold. Is it trying to cool my head off? If that's true then it's not doing a very good job.

"Shirou, please calm down, have some tea" Youmu is holding a cup of tea in her hand.

"... 'Kay" I accepted the tea from Youmu as I sit down. I drink it all up in one breath. "Ah..." The warm liquid felt good as I've been feeling cold for a while now. I hope this cold feeling is not because I'm no longer a hot blooded living being...

"Don't worry about it" Yuyuko happily said. "If you're really dead, you can just stay here with us. I don't mind, and Youmu won't mind either, right Youmu?" I think she's trying to be considerate with my situation, but I can't be sure since her voice is as chirpy as ever.

Asked a question, Youmu fumbled a bit before she glanced at me."Um... If Yuyuko-sama has no problem with it then I don't mind" Her eyes met mine and she quickly looked away.

Wow, that reaction... is that idea really that unappealing to her? Still though, "I appreciate the offer, but I'm not planning to die this early if I can help it"

"It's a shame, being dead is so much fun you know"

I can see that she's really enjoying being dead, but I really don't want to be dead just yet. Half dead is not acceptable either. "I'll take your word for it, but like I said..." I was interrupted when my ghost half flew right into my face. "Ack. What are you doing?" I smack it away.

It recoiled slightly before it once again ram my face again.

"Bweh! Peh!" I smack it away once again. "Hey, that's cold, knock it off" I try to grab it to no avail, considering this thing doesn't have any mass at all to grab on to.

"Shirou, calm down, try listening to it"

"Listen to what?"

"Try to feel him. My ghost half and I knows each other feeling, so if yours the same, then the same thing should be true"

Right uh... listen to it...

I stare at my ghost half. Okay... so just what're you trying to do to me?

It slowly floated in right in front of my face before coming to a full stop; somehow I get the feeling that it is looking back at me. I keep staring at it, not really expecting any answer, when suddenly an idea just popped into my head.

"Well Shirou?"

"... It wanted go back in me?" It sounded weird no matter how I think about it, but for some reason I'm completely certain that it wants to do just that.

Speaking of it, it is now floating closer to my face, waiting for me to do my part.

Another idea comes to mind. "You want me to do what? Seriously?" At my questioning tone my ghost half angrily rams my face again. Ugh look at me, I've argued with myself before, but I never done it so literally like this.

"Hah... fine just get this over with" I reluctantly opened my mouth. Seeing a chance my ghost half quickly flew right into my mouth, into my throat.

"Grk!" Ack, it felt like I'm swallowing dry ice mist. Cold!

It's over in just a few second, but damn! My mouth's going to be feeling that for hours. "Ahack! Gah, yuck!" I fall back and landed on my butt as my ghost half finished forcing itself into my body. Youmu quickly move to support me as I start heaving from finishing the deed.

Yukari also kneeled beside me, but she's more interested in checking my condition that worrying about me. " Gah! I can't believe I just did that! Bleh!" A tiny mist comes out of my mouth before it flew right back in again.

Youmu quickly grabbed her tea cup and gave it to me. "Here, drink this"

Indirect kiss be damned, I'm not gonna let my soul came out again. "Y-yeah, thanks Youmu" I quickly gulped it down.

"Hm, interesting" Yukari muttered as she examined me." Even though you were a bit on the dead side earlier, for all intent and purpose, you're back to being an ordinary human again now... Does this mean your boundary accepted the current form as the norm?" Her eyes are closed as she appears to be deep in thought.

"Yukari, stow the theories and stuff, in case you didn't notice... I JUST SWALLOWED MY OWN SOUL DOWN MY THROAT!"

"Calm down, drink some tea. Don't want you to get indigestion now do we?"

"... I hate you so much Yukari"

"Youmu~~ more snacks please~~" Yuyuko cheerfully asked, completely ignoring the events that just transpired in front of her.

"Right away, Yuyuko-sama"

"Can I get more tea also please?"

Yukari... is a cup of tea more important than my existence problem?

...

"Me too please..."

"Of course"

* * *

><p>"Aw... you're leaving already?" Yuyuko whined as we stand on the front porch of her house.<p>

"I really don't want to impose on you for much longer. Besides, I still got something to take care of before the day ended" Namely looking for a job, familiarising myself with the village, etc, etc.

The other reason is that Yukari said she wants to go home for a nap. Considering she's my ride home, I quickly decide to take her up on that offer before she actually decided to left me stranded here. As cool as this place is, I still prefer to live in a move lively environment.

"Fine...but do come over and visit sometime, okay?"

"Sure, though I'm not really sure how to get here by myself..."

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll think of something" Yukari sounded so sure about that as she leans on her gap. "Coming from you Yukari, it felt like you're stating a fact..."

"Does it?" Yukari said before she lets out a huge yawn

"Hah... by the way, do you want this back?" I offered the katana back to her, but Yukari just shakes her head.

"Consider it as my welcoming gift for you. I loosened that sword's boundary of existence; it should help you to control your energy in certain situation" Certain situation means whenever I'm copying someone right?

Wait; did she said what I think she just said?

"No need to give me that look. I promise this will be the last time I play around with any existences"

I'm not sure about the level of sincerity in that statement, but its not like I can do anything about it. "Please do. And thanks..." I strapped the sword back in it's harness that Youmu kindly let me borrow. Speaking of Youmu... "Hey? Where did Youmu go?" I asked. I haven't seen her ever since she gave me the sword harness.

Yuyuko glanced back into the house before she answers. "She said she's going on her patrol of the garden. I told her you'll be leaving soon but she insisted that she put it off too long already"

"Oh... Well in that case, please tell her I want a rematch the next time I visit"

"Of course, Youmu would be happy to hear that"

"Are you done yet? I really need a nap" Yukari sounds annoyed, better wrap this up now.

"Yeah okay, I'm done. By the way, can you not throw me into you gap thing this time please. It's really irritating if you just do it without any war—"A hole appear underneath me. "-NIIING!" It happened again right after I asked her not to do it! Dammit Yukari!

Yukari chuckled as she watched her gap closed after it swallowed it's prey. "I swear he makes it too easy. I'll see you next time Yuyuko"

"Bye Yukari, come again soon" The ghost princess waved her hand to her friend who slipped into her gap. As soon as the blond figure disappears into it, the hole closed down by itself, leaving Yuyuko alone in the courtyard.

"Haah... they're gone... but aren't you glad you got a new friend Youmu?"

There's a tiny squeak followed by the sound of footsteps running away.

"My my~~"

* * *

><p>"Whoaaaaa! Ouch!" I crash into the dirt once again. "... I swear that she's doing this on purpose..." I muttered as I lie down on the ground, watching the cloud passing by. The orange sky means it's already way past noon, I must've spent at least half a day at Yuyuko's house.<p>

What did she call that place again? Haku... gyoku... rou? rei?

"Shirou-san?"

Tilting my head up, I see Keine standing behind me. Yukari must've dropped me back at where she grabbed me earlier.

"Hey Keine-sensei. You won't believe what I just went through today"

* * *

><p><strong>And that's chapter 3 done. Did I get Yuyuko and Youmu's personality right? Review please! I'm begging here! <strong>

**Profile Update:**

**Yuyuko Saigyouji**

**The ghost of flawless immaculate beauty**

Shirou's Note: For a ghost, she's not scary at all. Most of the time I can understand the way she thinks, but then again, Yuyuko is just being Yuyuko. Yuyuko have a large appetite and spends her after life doing whatever she wants. She seems friendly to me, but considering that Yukari sees her as a friend, there must be something special about this ghost princess.

**Youmu Konpaku**

**Half-Phantom Gardener**

Shirou's Note: Really nice girl. Even though she's carrying a pair of swords on her back, she seems to emit an aura of helplessness that is making it easier for me to talk to her. Soft spoken with a straight forward personality, I think I can get along just fine with her. Her sword skills is very impressive, will be looking forward to the next time we meet.


	4. Day 4: The Bare Necessities

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**AN: Just a quick chapter. Not much to do for the 4th day, but it should be amusing nonetheless. So enjoy.**

**PS: I'm going to give him a spell card in the future. Anyone knows how to make a spell card or will I be forgiven to invent the spell card creation process?**

**Day 4: The Bare ****Necessities**

* * *

><p>I stare at the shop sign.<p>

According to Keine, this would be the best place for me to make a quick buck.

She's hesitant to tell me about the location though. According to her, the road is somewhat long, and it is outside the village, which means I might get attacked by wild youkai. The last part scares me, but I'm running dangerously low on food stuff... so money would be necessary for my continuing survival.

It took a bit of convincing, but she finally tells me after I promise that I'll be very careful on the way there. Oh, and she also make me swore not to go into the forest...not that I have any intention to.

"_Leave the village and head toward the forest. It's the lone building on the edge of the forest" _With a clear direction like that, it would be a sin to get lost. And so, here I am now.

"Kourindou...?" That's a weird name for a shop... and what's up with the junk all over the place?

Are these intentionally put out here for display? And aren't some of these are a bit on the modern side? A stack of dusty car tires, a TV with cracked screen, children tricycles, a monocycle, really, what a pile of junks.

...

I guess I should look inside for now, maybe it's not as bad as it looks?

* * *

><p>The bell above the door chimed as I entered the store.<p>

"Welcome!" A male voice called out.

"Uh... hello... wow..." My greeting is a sub-par, but to be honest, the moment I entered the store, my mind nearly shut down from overwhelming number of junks inside the store. I thought the outside is messy with all the junks piled around but the inside is even messier.

Let's see... I'd say around 10% of the items are usable, another 5% are interesting, and the rest of the 85% are useless crappy junk items. Just what kind of store is this?

The shop owner looked up from whatever he's doing behind the counter. His eyes narrowed slightly as he notice me just standing at the door. "Hm? A fresh face outside of the usual annoyances. Do you need anything?"

Being called out, I slowly walked into the store, letting the door closed behind me. "Yeah... uh... I was told that you could give a me a job? Something for a quick money?"

The man gave me a look over before he lets out a heavy sigh. "Oh? And who told you that? If you heard that from a witch then you can just leave now. The door is over there" He points at the door I just entered.

I can feel my temper rising at the rude dismissal. The man clearly has no idea what customer relations mean as he completely ignored me while he fiddles with a pocket calculator on the counter.

Calm down... I need the cash... and Keine doesn't seem like the type to told lies. "I didn't hear about this shop from a witch" I highly doubt that Keine is a witch. In fact, I can't see her as anything else but a normal human. "The one that told me that is the teacher from the village, Keine-sensei"

At my answer, the shop owner stops fiddling with the small gadget as he turns a curious look at me. "Interesting, she's not one to either make a baseless claim or pull a random prank... Do you have any idea why she suggested that?"

At least he's not being rude anymore. Now what did Keine say again... ah yes. "I'm from... 'Outside the border'? So she thinks that..."

I didn't even finish my explanation before the man jumped up from his chair in glee. "Oh, why didn't you say so earlier? Sure, I got a few things you could do. Wait here for a bit" He quickly disappeared into the back of the store.

And a few minutes later, he came back, carrying a medium sized box along with him. Wait, that's not a box... that's a... "What can you tell me about this?" The man eagerly asked as he turns the box around so that the glass screen on its side faces towards me.

"It's... a monitor? A very old at that..." I'm not a tech-wiz, but I'm pretty sure this thing is one of the earliest models of computer monitors; it's bulky and looks pretty heavy.

"A monitor is it? I knew it! So how does it work? From what I understand, this item here is used by the outsiders to scry into another world, but no matter how much I tried, I can never got it to show anything on its glass surface"

"I-Inner... huh? Uh, I don't know how you come to that conclusion, but at the very least this monitor needs to be connected to the computer for it to show anything"

"Computers? Those metallic boxes that contains trapped shikigamies? I got a few in the back" T-trapped shikigami? Just how did this guy came up with that explanation? "So how do I establish a connection between the monitor and the computer... Is there a ritual involved ?"

"R-ritual? Well, uh... You normally just use the connection cable to connect the two. But... I don't think it's going to be much help since there's no electricity here..."

"Electricity?"

"Um... it's what powers the computer. Think of it as... controlled lightning I suppose?"

"Fascinating... so the outside world has developed a way to tame the elements itself? what does it takes to perform this amazing feat?"

"Well... uh... We get electricity from a power plant... it's a... place where electricity is generated...from there... there's the power cables which connects the plant to people's home, so everyone can get electricity." I'm grasping straws here. I never went to school! I'm just saying it as I understand it.

"So, it's something similar to a shrine then? Where the people called on the power of the Gods? I'd assume it would require a large number of followers to do this?"

"Uh... I guess you can put it that way..."I don't even know how to fix that reasoning, so I'll just let it slide.

"Hm... you say electricity is needed to power this computer correct? Is there a way I can substitute electricity with something else?"

"Something else? Like what?"

"I have a supply of kerosene that I normally use for my heater, maybe I can-"

"No! If that computer is not broken yet then pouring kerosene on it will definitely break it! Not to mention you'll turn it into a dangerous fire hazard. Computers only accept electricity as their power supply"

"Hm... that's unfortunate" The man looks crestfallen at the news. It didn't last long though as he took out the pocket calculator he was playing with earlier and show it to me.

"And what about this calculator? It's make is similar to the computer. Is it powered by electricity also?" He eagerly handed the small device to me.

Wow, I've never seen this model of calculator before, it looks really old... "Yeah, this need electricity too, but it doesn't need as much power as the computer" It doesn't respond when I try turning it on. "Either it's broken, or the batteries dead. I personally think it's the former"

"Batteries?"

"It's... an object that is used to store a tiny amount of electricity. They're normally used by small appliances such as these"

"Ooh... truly fascinating... So if I can acquire some of these batteries, I can use them to activate this calculator?"

"If the calculator is not broken, then yeah, it'll work" I pass the calculator back to him.

"I see... batteries... I'll have to ask my supplier about them the next time I see her... Now how about..." The man rubbed his chin as he thought about something.

Phew, he finally stops asking stuff. Really, it's like trying to teach an infant with an over active imagination on the proper usage of technology... Seriously, why did I come here again?

...

Oh! I almost forgot!

Actually I did forget about it, but now I remember!

"Um, excuse me, if you don't mind me interrupting for a second; I still need a paying job, so..."

"But you are working right now "The shop owner told me with raised eyebrow. "Did I not mention it before?"

"No, not really. You just suddenly start asking stuff"

"Oh, in that case, let me explain. You see, as the proud owner of Kurindou, it is my duty to have full knowledge on the inner workings of my merchandise. I could to a degree understand their inner working, but unfortunately, there's a limit to what I can comprehend" The man regretfully shake his head before he continues. "As an outsider, you have the correct mindset to help me understand my wares, and as a businessman, I understand the value of even trade, which is why I'm offering you this deal; you help me identify my wares and I'll pay you good money for your help. It's a good deal for you is it not?"

"I... I guess so..." Can't argues that this is probably the easiest job I ever had in my life... but then again, this job would be extremely boring for me... so that's a negative. But, I really need some money, so I can't exactly say no to this job. "I guess since you're paying I could help out for the day"

"Okay, now that's settled... what about these earphones? They are meant to produce sound, but I can't hear anything from them"

"..."

This is going to take a while...

* * *

><p>The sun is setting by the time we finish. I arrived here just before noon, so I'm guessing that I have been here for at least 5 hours, helping this weird store owner, who introduce himself as Rinnosuke, figure out just what exactly he is selling. Funny thing though, during my 'work hours', I didn't see any customers arriving at all. The owner doesn't seem bothered by the lack of customers, so I guess it's pretty normal for this shop to not have any customers.<p>

"Thank you for the help, I've come to a greater understanding about my wares now"

"Yeah, no problem"I'm sitting on the counter, completely exhausted. I never know talking can be this tiring. So this is what people called 'mentally exhaustion'.

"So... let's talk about payment. How much do you want?"

And my exhaustion is blown away by the mention of money. "I honestly don't know... Enough for me to eat for a week? And I also have to get a new box for Reimu-san... so add that too"

"Are you sure? That's not much at all"

I just shrugged my shoulder. "Maybe... but easy money makes people lazy, and at the moment, I can't afford to start being lazy" True story; I can be ridiculously lazy if I got nothing to do, and it's hard for me to rebound after that. The last time I 'entered' a lazy phase, it takes the effort of the whole orphanage and my bed set on fire before I snap out of it.

"Well, I can respect that. So, for a week... I'd say somewhere around 150 yen... that should be more than enough. But what is this about a box for the shrine maiden?"

"... I broke her donation box..."

"Ah, I see, say no more" He nodded as he gave me a pitying look. Really, yesterday it was Yuyuko and Youmu, and now him too? Is Reimu's donation box such a big deal? It's just a normal donation box isn't it? As I pondered this question, Rinnosuke tinkered around the counter. It doesn't take long before he handed me a small pouch. "Here you go then, your payment for today's help; all 200 yen. I even throw you a free pouch to carry the coins around"

"Thanks" I accepted the pouch. 200 Yen for a week? Ah, the joy of a world without inflation... Anyway, that's mission complete; I got some money and now it is time to return back to the village. "All right, I'll be going now" I push myself off the counter.

"Already? Won't you take a look around first?"

Dude, I just spent a few hours talking about this stuff. And I'm not gonna give you the opportunity to scrounge back the money you just gave me."I'm sure. Best to leave now before it gets dark"

The shop owner glances outside and frowned as he notice the darkening skies. "That's true. Well, come again soon. And do be careful on your way home"

"I plan to" For the second part at least...

* * *

><p>15 minutes after I left the shop I inwardly scolded myself for not leaving much earlier.<p>

It gets dark a bit faster than I expected, and currently there's just enough leftover light from the sun to illuminate my path home. Reimu told me to stay in the village at night and night is fast approaching... and with that, youkais becomes more active as they hunt for food.

And last time I checked, I classify as food to hungry youkais...

I suppress a shiver as I hastened my pace a bit more.

The area around me is quiet; aside from the rustling wind there hasn't been much reason to be alarmed. The sun is gone, replaced by the moon and stars. Hm... This is the first time I've look at the stars ever since I arrived here. It's very different from back at home... its quiet... and peaceful...

I shake my head clear from the peaceful thoughts. It's not the right time, there's nothing peaceful about being eaten by youkais.

I peered ahead, and I can now see the lights from the village. This is good, I'm not that far anymore. Just about 10 minutes walking and I'll be home free. Now let's hope my luck holds out, shit always happens near the last moments after all.

"Grr..." Something growled beside me.

Ah hells. Way to jinx myself. I quickly turn toward the source of the growling, and there slowly closing in towards me, are three big very scary looking dogs...

"Grr... human..."

Oh, it can talk, so that means I'm facing against three big and scary demon dogs that apparently finds me delicious. "... Nice doggies..." I muttered as I take a step backward. Funny, here I am facing 3 hungry looking demon dogs and I'm cracking jokes. Why can I do this when I can't even pull off a normal greeting to the much less hostile youkais in the village?

The middle dog moves ahead of the other two. "Human... you're a long way from home..." It growled at me.

"Well, my home is just over there... do you think you and your buddies can move out of the way so I can get home... and possibly get dinner?" Out of the corner of my eyes I notice the other 2 dogs slowly move to encircle me.

"Why should we... when we are looking at dinner..."

"Grr..." All three bares their fangs at me.

"Uh... My, what big teeth you have..." I move backward again so I can keep an eye on all three dogs. In response, they slowly starts to advance on me. "Yeesh, you guys are one tough customer. Just like..."

Just like...

... The club patrons back home...

...

Okay, so I'm not scared of them because they're openly attacking me? I really got to get my brain checked!

Let's see, think, think... This is a matter of life and death, got to keep it cool and don't show any fear... okay, what are my options? I could try to run and hope I can make it back to the village... but it seemed too unlikely.

I got my sword with me, so I could try fighting them off, but there's no way I can fight a pack of youkai as I am now...Somehow I have to make them fire a bullet at me. "Don't suppose we could just settle this over a round of danmaku? You win you got to eat me, I win I get to go home?"

"Grr..." Okay, they're clearly not interested.

Maybe a different approach is required. "What? None of you can danmaku? You guys must be one weak ass youkai then" It takes everything I got to kill the cold fear in my gut so I can force my face into a mocking sneer. This taunt is really a big gamble, if it works then I got a fighting chance, if it provokes them into attacking me...

...

Dammit, why did I taunt them! I'm so screwed! AAHH! If there's any God listening to me; I promise, if I survive this I'll donate a lot of money to Reimu's donation box!

"Grr!" A sudden flash of light is all the warning I got before I throw myself to the ground.

"Whoa"

"Who's... weak..." The left dog just fired a handful of danmaku bullets at me. It really fired at me! I can't believe that taunt actually pays off! I can already feel the familiar warm feeling inside my body.

Okay, this is good. Now what can I do with it? Shooting danmaku at them won't accomplish anything, so I need another approach. Maybe something more physical... like the one I did while I was having danmaku with Youmu yesterday... that instant speed burst!

"Bad doggies... sit... lie down... play dead?" I mumbled out as I draw my sword.

I focused on the warm feeling inside of me. Feel it, let it flow into my all over my body, and then focus. I'm not looking at this from a human perspective; I need to move like a youkai, my blow as strong as a youkai, and my mind see like a youkai. Control it all, so I can be the same as a youkai.

I can feel a slight change in my body. The air becomes slightly chilly, so I take a deep breath... And suddenly, the world explodes with colours.

No wait, this is not colours. It's my sharpened senses; my mind is painting a picture of the surrounding area based on what I sensed... no from what I smelled... Is this because I copied a dog youkai? I heard dogs rely on their sense of smell the most, which would explain what is happening to me right now. This is different from the feeling I got with Youmu, but my body felt stronger nonetheless. Now then. I only got one chance at this. I need to settle this while their guard is down. Before they finds out about my abilities.

I can sense their bloodlust. They're eager to attack, so I just got to wait for the right moment...

And that moment comes when I felt a dangerous bloodlust coming from behind. Acting on instinct, I throw myself to the left, just in time to dodge the sharp canines that tries to bit my head off.

There's another one behind me?

I tumbled and rolled back to my feet just in time to see four dogs charging directly at me. They're fast. Much faster than a normal dog, but I can see their movements, it's nothing compared to Youmu's! As I am now, I could... no, I know I could beat them!

"Bring it on you flea bags!" And once again, everything comes to a crawl. I can feel myself moving forward, my sword smacked the first dog on the face, sending it flying away. The second one tries to bite my sword arm, but I shifted to the right and drive the sword hilt to its left eye. As I watched it recoiled in pain, I use my left hand to grab its neck before I spin around and use the momentum to fling it away.

Using the same momentum, I smash the third dog on the back of its head. I barely register its whine as I smash its face to the ground.

The last one comes to attack just after that. This one is already in my face by the time I realize it, so I shifted backward, letting my body fall down to the ground, and as it passes over me, I swung my sword on its neck. The blow sends blood and spit splattering next to my face before I follow through with the impact, sending it flying away.

And then everything suddenly sped up again. My chest felt heavy, my body felt sore, and everything becomes blurry. I spend a few seconds staring at the sky as I try to recover from... whatever I just did... What was that? I know I've gotten faster for only few seconds, and yet everything slowed down for me. Is it because my mind unable to move as fast as the body? That would also explain this migraine...

Speaking of which, the dogs! They're still in the area, are they still attacking me?

I stand up, my body felt rested after the few seconds lying on the ground. My sight is not back to normal yet, but my sight is good enough to survey the after math of my... close encounter...

All four dogs are down on the ground. They're still breathing, so they're still alive, but none of them are in any shape to attack me anymore. "Human... how..." The nearest dog youkai, which is the one I hit on the back of its head, asked me. Its voice is weak, pained. It tries to get back up but it stumbles down again.

I habitually scratched the back of my head. "That's a trade secret. So uh...No hard feelings?" It replies with an angry growl as it tries to stands up again. "Okay, um... Bye then" I quickly flee the scene of the crime. God, I hope no one saw that, I'm not that far from the village after all.

I barely take a few steps away before a voice cut through the night. "Ooh, scoop" Huh? That voice sounded familiar.

A black winged girl swopped down from the sky. Her wings flapped open as she came to a stop right in front of me. "Saw the whole thing, couldn't believe it myself; a lone human defeating a pack of hungry youkai, and to make it even more interesting, the human is the new recently arrived outsider!"

"You're... Aya-san!" Of all the people who could saw that, she's probably one of the worst possible outcomes.

"Just Aya is fine. But anyway, big scoop. Hope you don't mind, but this is going on the front page." She holds up her camera and presses the shutter before I can say anything. With a small click, she has acquired a photographic evidence of what I just did.

"I mind a lot!"

She completely ignores my protest as she folded her notepad into her pocket. "I would like to have an interview, but if I don't go back now I won't have time to put this scoop on tomorrow's Bunbumaru release. Hm... I'll swing by tomorrow for the interview, is that fine?"

"Eh? But... I don't..."

"Okay, this reporter is now leaving the scene. See you soon, bye" A small gale kicked off from her flught and just like that, Aya runs away before I can say anything.

Oh boy, in so many ways... this cannot be good... Reimu is gonna kill me!

* * *

><p><strong>And that's chapter 4 done. Writing Rinnosuke's line requires a lot of research to Zun's Curiosities of Lotus Asia. I hope I get his character right.<strong>

**Profile Update:**

**Rinnosuke Morichika**

**The unmoving Used Goods Seller**

Shirou's Note: Okay... uh... Let me think... Um... He's... eager about his junks I guess... an otaku in a sense? I didn't really got a good feel on his character since I was too busy trying to figure out the best way to describe someone else's junk for him. Oh well, at least he's nice enough to get me a job, though I think I lost a few dozen brain cell while doing said job.


	5. Day 5: Helping Out the New Neighbour

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Well, this chapter would've come out sooner if there were more review, true story. ****The lack of reviews for the past 2.5 weeks makes it hard for me to get inspired to write.******

**Anyway, onward with the story. Does any of the characters comes too strong? Can you all understand the flow of the story? If anything doesn't make sense please tell me fast so I can fix it. **

******Day 5: Helping Out the New Neighbour.******

* * *

><p>It's the usual bustle as the village prepares to welcome the new day. Villagers greet each other as they pass by, the shop owners open up their stores, children laughing as they head to school. But in this seemingly uneventful day, a new voice is introduced to the usual commotion.<p>

A loud banging noise can be heard coming from the eastern side of the village. A number of heads turned to look at the source of the noise, but none of them choose to linger when they spot the source.

"Shirou, I know you're in there, open the door!" A girl is slamming her fist on the wooden door. She's been standing there for the past few minutes, and throughout the entire racket that she made, the door is still closed for her. "Hellooo? Open up dammit!" Her temper is apparent as her face is slowly turning the same red colour as her outfit.

She repeats the motion for another minute before in a fit of anger, she forcefully swung the door open herself. Entering the house, the shrine maiden is quick to find her target, who is still peacefully sleeping in his futon, unaware of the approaching danger. "Are you seriously still sleeping? Wake up!"

In a feat of extreme daringness, this sleeper lets out a small yawn before his sleepy eyes opened. "Hm... oh... it's just Reimu... zzz..." And his eyes closes again.

"Grr... **Ying-Yang Sanctifier Orb**!"

Reimu would later claim total innocence; as she drags a limp body out of the crater that resulted from what she claimed to be as a totally innocent transgression.

* * *

><p>Sometime after I regained consciousness, both me and the shrine maiden are enjoying a cup of warm tea that the shrine maiden made after she raided my pantry. Since my home is lacking some comfort items such as chairs, we are both sitting down on the floor as we converse.<p>

"You're going to pay for that?" I glanced toward the 'ground zero' at the back of the house. The wooden floor is completely cracked, there's a sizeable dent on the floor from the... something that crashed on top of me.

Reimu calmly drink her tea before answering. "You still haven't refunded my donation box so I've got no source of income to pay for anything. With that said, until you get me a new one, I claim total leniency to any damages that I have and would have inflicted upon you and your claims. If anyone's at fault, that would be you. How could you let a girl waiting on your doorstep?"

"I was still sleeping, very peacefully I might add, before you dropped whatever it is on me"

"I only used what I consider as the most effective way to awake you. In fact, you should be thanking me for the wakeup call, in case you haven't notice, the sun is already up"

I send a hateful glare toward the sun. "Hah... So? What do you want that warrants such a rude awakening?" I asked as I put down my cup on the floor.

Reimu gulped down the rest of her tea before she pulled out a folded stack of papers out of her sleeves. She unfolded it before she showed it to me. "Explain this"

"What's that?"

"The latest bunbumaru's newspaper. Take a look, you made the front page" She handed me the papers.

Bunbumaru... That's Aya's newspaper if I remember correctly... Wonder what she wrote about me...?

I flip open the papers and quickly skimmed for the news about me. It only takes me a second to spot it thanks to the big heading in the top centre of the page. "'A newcomer from outside the great border... that doesn't sound too bad. The boy's recent arrival... great interest in Gensokyo... unknown relationship with the shrine maiden..." I glance toward Reimu to check her reaction on that last part.

"Neither do I. Keep reading" She seemed unfazed to that part of the article.

I continued reading the article. "The boy's mysterious circumstances... Unknown ability... Defeated a pack of hungry youkai outside the village..." On the side of the article there is a black and white picture of me. Got to admit, this is a pretty good picture, the way I'm standing tall next to the crumpled form of defeated youkai looks pretty damn awesome. Still, that was yesterday and today is today. And today, I've got an angry shrine maiden in the house who looks like she's on the verge of finishing what those youkai failed to do yesterday.

"Oh..."I muttered.

"Don't 'Oh' me! Didn't I tell you to stay inside the village? What were you doing outside?" Reimu scolded me.

"I'm running low on food supplies and I needed some quick money. Someone mentioned that the owner of the shop on the edge of the forest would be my best bet for getting some cash so..."

Reimu's face went through a few different emotions as she listens to my explanation. To her credit, she didn't say anything until I finished explaining. "Hah... When you put it like that..." My reasoning seems to have satisfied the 'holy' shrine maiden as Reimu's anger deflated like a popped balloon. She still seemed unhappy, but at least I'm not in danger of being hit by a spell card.

"So? How did you beat those youkai?"

"It's complicated, but basically I bluffed them into shooting a danmaku at me, and then ..." I recounted what happened yesterday to the shrine maiden.

* * *

><p>To her credit, Reimu listened very aptly to my tale. Her serious expression is a 180 change from how she usually acts. Of course, it doesn't last for long. The moment I finished, her demeanor instantly switched back to her usual self, all trace of seriousness vaporize without a trace. "Hah..." Reimu lets out a very long sigh. She must be feeling really conflicted about what she just heard. "So not only you can copy abilities, you can also take in physical traits?" She rubbed her head tiredly.<p>

"Seems like it. It's kinda cool don't you think?"

"It's all fun and games until you mess up and get eaten..."

Touché... "Yeah, but as you can see, I'm still alive and well. I appreciate your concern... even with what I'd guess is your unique way of expressing it" I glance at the crater once again. "

"Don't sell yourself too high. After all, you're my responsibility. That gap hag would never let me hear the end of it if I let you died already"

"Still, thanks"

"Hn..." She muttered before she stands up and starts walking towards the door.

"Are you leaving already?"

"Yeah, Can't exactly leave the shrine unattended. Gods knows what'll happen if people came by when I'm not around..." She angrily muttered. She paused as she reached the door. "Oh that reminds me, Suika's been looking for you. Do you mind if I tell her about this place?"

"That little drunken Oni? I don't see why not... As long she's not going to kidnap me... go ahead"

"You'll probably regret saying that. Anyway, I'm off" She didn't wait for my response to her last comment as she shut the door closed behind her.

"Hah..." I can't help the feeling that I just got taken advantage off... Not only did she give me such a rude awakening, she also left straight after she finishes her tea.

Might as well clean up the cups now...

I picked up the empty cups from the floor and bring them to the kitchen area of the house. I dip the cups in a bucket of water as I gently scrub them with my hand.

No sink and no running water, as expected of a place that hasn't been in contact with the outside world for 150 years. The lack of modernization still weird's me out once in a while, but if there's one thing I'm good at, is my fast learning capacity.

It took me a few minutes to clean the cup and placing them back in the shelves. Finished with the cleaning, I look around the house for a few second, focusing primarily on the small crater indicating the spot where I slept last night.

Wonder how I'm going to repair that? Is there a carpentry workshop in the village that can help me with that? But that means I have to pay to get it fixed... And I'm tight with money as it is... Guess I'll just leave it be for now.

Now then, what should I do for today...

As I was pondering, I stepped on something that makes a small rustling sound. Looking down, I saw the newspaper that Reimu brought. She must've left it behind.

I pick it up as I reread the part about me.

Hm... What a flashy article. I hope this won't get me too much attention. There can't be that many people who read this cheap gossip rag... Right?

* * *

><p>I was wrong!<p>

Dammit, I vastly underestimated the rumour mill in this place. I barely left the house and already people are noticing me. I can feel the stares; hear the whispers, the finger pointing. But the worst part is that some of the youkai I passed on the streets are giving me funny looks. One even openly bared her fangs at me.

I think it's time for a tactical retreat to the nearest 'safe zone'...

Hence, a few minutes later, I am knocking on the door of said 'safe zone'. I didn't have to wait long before the door opened and a friendly face appeared from behind it. "Shirou-san?" Keine is surprised as she found me standing there.

"Hi Keine-sensei. Mind if I hide here for a bit?"

"Hide? What happened?" She inquired.

"Unwanted publicity... I take it you haven't read the newspaper?"

"The tengu's? Which one?"

"There's more than one?"

"Each tengu run their own newspaper so... there are quite a number of them"

"Oh... in any case, until things cool down for a bit, mind if I stay here?"

"... I guess you can. As long you didn't interfere with the class"

"No problem, I'll be as quiet as a ghost" As soon as the words left my mouth, Yuyuko's cheery face suddenly pops into my head. "Er... wait, I mean..."

My sudden pause must've tipped Keine on what I was thinking as she quietly laughed. "I see you've been learning about Gensokyo... anyway, come in" She motioned for me to enter.

I let myself in and wait for Keine to close the door. This is the first time I went inside the school... any school... it felt kinda weird.

Keine leads the way into the building as I slowly trailed behind her. "We're in the middle of the break at the moment so your timing could be worse. I think the kids would be glad to see you; they've been asking a lot of questions about you, especially after your disappearing stunt the day before yesterday"

"Blame that one on Yukari"

"Ha-ha. Well, here we are" She come to a stop in front of what I assume is the classroom. "Wait here for a sec as I address the kids"

"What am I, a new student?"

Keine give me a small smile before she went inside.

A minute later she lets me into the classroom.

As soon as I entered the classroom, a loud commotion ensues. One kid in particular jumped up as he pointed straight at me. "Ah! That's the guy who beat up the youkai" The loud chatter turned into hushed noises as the news spread like a wildfire among the students.

Dammit. What are the chances of running into a kid who reads newspaper? Back in the orphanage only me and the matron read the newspaper, none of the kids does.

Still, nothing can be done as the news has taken root in everyone's head.

"Youkai? He did?"

"No way. You're lying"

"I'm not lying, it's in the newspaper. My dad showed it to me"

"You sure it's him?"

"Yeah. I saw his picture; He looked so cool!"

Right at that point a sudden oppressing chill suddenly penetrates into the class room. "Did he now?" My danger sense went into overdrive as Keine turned to face me. She's smiling, but I remember seeing that kind of nice smile on Reimu's face before she started going crazy with her danmaku. That smile... it is one that promises pain... lots and lots of pain.

"Shirou!'

"Y-yes?"

"Come over here"

"O-okay?" She seemed unhappy about something. Better do what she says.

"Stand straight, and close your eyes"

"Okay?" I quickly close my eyes.

Weird... why did everyone goes quiet? There was...

My train of thought come to a stop as something hard smashed into my face."Gwah!" I'm seeing stars as I opened my eyes.

Keine is standing in front of me with both hands covering her forehead. "S-so...? Did you regret what you did?"

"What did I do?" The pain... it actually brought tears into my eyes... Everything is spinning...

"You took unnecessary risks by leaving the village. I thought I told you to be careful"

"I did! But hungry youkai don't care whether I'm careful or not!"

"Y-you...!" Keine seems abashed before she leaned back a bit and then- GAAHHH! She slammed her head right into my face! All the nerves in my face just sent thousands of messages to my brain, and they all screamed pain! Did she just head butt me? Why a head butt? And...Oww... the pain... so much pain!

The assailant seems to be suffering some damage also as she hold her head in pain. "O-ow... D-don't talk back to me young man. What you did was completely reckless. You're lucky that you're still alive"

"How is this lucky! Ugh... felt like my face just get bashed by a hammer"

"Keep talking and you'll get another one"

The thought of another blow quickly send my self-preservation instincts into overdrive. "I'll be good..."

Keine nodded in satisfaction before she turns her attention back to the children. "Now, is there anyone else here that think what he did is cool?"

"N-no Sensei..." The children chorused in agreement.

Corporal punishment? Really Sensei? Oww... The agony... People say I've got a thick skull, but as a matter of fact, at the moment there are as much spots in my vision as a danmaku... In fact, I think I'm slowly losing consciousness here...

"... Mind if I sit down for a bit?

"... There's an empty chair in the back, as long you stay quiet you can stay"

"... Thanks"

I can't remember much after that, but I knew for certain that I passed out the moment I sat down.

* * *

><p>"And that's it for today"<p>

My eyes twitched open amidst the mass groaning.

I rubbed the sand of my eyes as I watched the students slowly clean up their table as they get ready to go home. Quite a number of them seem quite... relieved that the lessons are over.

"I'll see you all again tomorrow. Don't forget your homework okay?"

"Yes~~~~~" All the children quickly vacated the classroom. They must be glad that class is over.

I push myself of the desk, and without warning, a massive headache pummelled through my skull. "O-Ow..." I leaned on the nearby wall to steady myself. The damage from the head but must've been pretty severe if I can still feel it even after my quick nap/pass out session. I gently rubbed my head... It's slightly swollen... maybe a minor concussion... nothing I can't handle...

"Hey, hey. You're alive" There are only a few students remaining in the classroom, and one of them approached me.

"Hn... yeah..." I muttered as I look at the boy. I remember this kid; he's the one that called out on my victory over the youkai. If I wanna be technical about it, he's the reason why I got head butted by Keine... "I never knew a head butt can be this painful..."

"He-he. Keine-sensei is strong. She's stronger than my dad you know. But you must be strong too since you can beat up youkai"

"I was just lucky"

"No way! Being lucky doesn't help against Youkai, my dad told me that. And you must be plenty strong since you already got up after taking sensei's head butt, everyone else takes at least twice as long when they get head butted by sensei. And you were even hit twice!"

"Ahahaha..." That does sound dangerous. Keine is a very nice person, that much hasn't change, but damn she can be as scary as Reimu if she wants to.

"Onii-chan..." A tiny voice called out. The boy turned around when he heard the voice, a little girl, no older than 7 is standing behind him. "Let's go home?" She asked him.

The boy's eyes widened at the question. "Ack, I forget. Um... Yeah, about that... uh..." He stammers as he looks around. I am familiar with this kind of behaviour; back at the orphanage, the kids, Shin especially, acts in similar way whenever they did something that they didn't think through. So what did this kid do?

"Oh, Shirou, you're awake" Keine choose that moment to grace us with her presence. The boy now looks completely horrified as his eyes darted left and right, looking for an exit I think?

"Keine-sensei... Sorry if I interrupted your lessons. I didn't snore did I?"

"No-no, it wasn't a bother at all. Though actually, I believe I also owe you an apology, I might have hit you harder than I thought"

"R-really? I wouldn't guess... haha..."

"I'm very sorry"

"It's fine, really" I unthinkingly rubbed my head brow again at the painful memory.

"Onii-chan... can we go home now?" The voice of the little girl garnered the attention of both me and Keine as we turned to toward the pair of siblings.

Her brother scratched his head as he slowly made for the door. "Um, Kasumi... I forgot to tell you.. Uh... me and the others are going to Ken's place... so..."

The sister didn't say anything for a second before she lower her head."... Okay... I'll just go home ahead then..."

Seeing this scene, Keine quickly switch back to her teacher role. "Wait a minute Hayate, you can't just let your sister walk home alone"

The boy winced as Keine scolded him. "But we've been planning this for a week now"

"No buts. That's your little sister over there and you can't just..."

At that moment another boy appeared on the doorway. "Hayate~~ let's get going" He called out.

"Ah! Wait for me! Bye Sensei!"

"Ah... wait!" The kid ignores her as he bolted out of the classroom. He didn't run that fast, I bet either me or Keine could have caught him if he didn't strategically move around the classroom, using his sister to block pursuit. Not willing to run over the little girl, Keine is unable to stop him. ".. Really... just wait till the next class; I'll give him a lesson he won't soon forget"

"I-it's okay, I can get home by myself..."

"Haah... No, sweetie, that won't do..." Keine rubbed her eyes tiredly. Opening her eyes, her gaze landed on me. "Shirou-san, could you take her home perhaps?"

"Me?"

"Her home is across the village, just next to the farming area. It's quite a walk to get there, and as you can see... she's still but a child..."

True, she seems to be around the age of 6 or 7... And she does have an innocent air around her. I can see why Keine worries about her. "...I guess I could do that. But the farming area...? I never actually been to that part of the village yet"

"Hm..." She quietly mumbled before she turns toward the girl. "Kasumi-chan, do you know your way back home?" The girl, now identified as Kasumi nodded to answer her question. "Good girl... Now I know you're a bit shy, but would you allow this young man to take you home?

The girl looks towards me. Her eyes met mine and she quickly turns back towards Keine. "Um...Sensei..."

Keine gently rub her head. "It's okay, he's a good person. He'll keep the bad people away"

"But..." She seems scared at the prospect of me escorting her home. Am I really that scary or is she just too innocent? Please let it be the latter...

"Don't worry, if he tries anything funny Sensei will punish him for you"

She gave me a smile, but the meaning is quite clear; if something happen to this girl, the punishment will be very painful, probably more head-butts "Please don't...It really hurt..." I whined.

"... He-he" The act of me whining like a little kid must've amused the girl as she let out a small giggle.

"See, he won't do anything bad to you. So will you let him take you home?"

"Okay, if you say so Sensei..."

"That's a good girl. Well then, have a safe trip home. Shirou-san, you watch over her okay?"

"Will do"

"Bye Sensei" Keine smiled before she too left the classroom. Now it's only me and the girl left, the other kids must've gone home while we were talking. "Well mister, I'll be in your care for now" The girl politely bowed as she said that.

I nodded. "Yeah, me too..." God knows what Keine will do to me if I let anything happened to her...

* * *

><p>Leaving the school behind, past the village square, through the market stalls, along the lines of farmstead, and finally to a small commercial district. I just kept following the girl while making sure that she's out of any harm's way. At first I just trailed behind her, thinking this kind of security is unnecessary, but that changes after seeing two seedy looking men who told her to take a 'super secret' shortcut through the back alley.<p>

I quietly followed behind them.

"Okay, usual plan, I'll pick her up and take her across the mucky ground ahead" One of the men said as he takes off his shirt.

"You do that, and I'll stay back and enjoy the view. Ah... to see such a beauty squirming as she asks to be put down... think you can pull up her top a bit?"

"With pleasure"

The two men were about to do the deed when someone grabbed onto their shoulders. Surprised at the sudden intrusion, both men craned their neck to look at the intruder. What they see is a stranger who is scowling at them. "If you two wanna be disgusting... then do it to each other!" The hands on their shoulder suddenly move to their heads and then...

The little girl turned around when he heard a loud smacking voice behind her.

"Kasumi-chan, don't you know it's bad to listen to strangers?" I gently chided her as I let go of both men's head. Without my hands grinding their face together, the two men dropped to the ground, both knocked out cold after I smashed their faces together. Seriously, this kind of perversion also exists in Gensokyo? Who would've thought?

"I-I'm sorry... Are they a bad man?" She looks down at the two knocked out men.

"They're bad, not to mention sick"

"They're sick? Should we call a healer?"

"No need, I already administered the most effective treatment to these two, the rest is up to them on whether they want to be cured or not"

"Oh..."

I spare a quick glance at the two men collapsed on the ground. The way their bodies are laying on top of each other and with their state of clothing, it would be very easy for someone to get the wrong idea... but then again, they deserve it, so I'll just leave them alone like that. "Cmon, let's get out of here. Keine-sensei will get mad at me if I don't bring you home"

"Okay"

I lead her out of the alley way.

For the rest of the trip, I stayed next to her. The girl seemed more comfortable with me after that back-alley incident as she shows no earlier sign of discomfort with my presence.

Soon enough, we reached the destination as the girl went into one of the shop in the district. "Mom~~~ I'm home~~" She called out as she gets in.

Unsure on what to do, I just lingered near the shop's entrance.

"Ah, welcome home Kasumi" A lady from the shop greeted her. That must be her mother then. "You're alone? Where's your brother?"

"He said he's going to his friend's house"

The mother shakes her head. "Really that boy... to think he let you come home alone..."

"I'm not alone. Keine-sensei asks him to take me home" The girl raises her finger to point at me.

The mother followed the fingers and found me standing near the door. "Oh? You are...?"

"Um... hello..." I greeted her.

"Please come in" Kasumi said as she takes my hand and tries pulling me into the store. I don't have the heart to resist her, so I let myself be dragged into the store. The moment I stepped through the entrance, my nose is flooded with sweet smells coming from the rows and rows of cakes that filled the store; from simple rice cake to the more advanced sweet bean jelly cakes to the extravagant western strawberry cakes.

"This is Shirou-san, Sensei asked him to take me home" Kasumi introduces me as she returns to her mother's side.

"I see, thank you for bringing my daughter home?" She politely bowed at me.

"Thank you very much" The girl also mirrored her mother's action.

The mother smiled at her daughter. "Kasumi, why don't you go change your clothes. I'll get you a snack in a bit so don't forget to wash up"

"Okay" The girl happily nodded before he runs into the inside of the store.

Now it's just me and her mother "Anyway, now that she's home, I'll be taking my leave" I excused myself.

"Actually, could you please wait for a moment?"

I paused mid turn before I turn back toward the mother. "Yes? Is something the matter Ma'am?"

"You're the boy who defeated those youkai, are you not?"

Dammit! Again? I swear, the next time I run into that tengu I'm gonna... Crud, she's a youkai so I can't exactly beat her up... not to mention that she's a girl too... Dammit again. "It's slightly exaggerated... I for one did not defeat them easily like the newspaper claimed..."

"Of course, it is hard to imagine that you managed to do so with just a small effort. But nevertheless you still manage to take them down did you not?" She prodded further.

"... Yeah" I admitted. No use denying what happen, especially since the fact is supported by a photographic evidence.

"In that case, can I please ask for your assistance once again?"

"Huh?" Okay? Now that was unexpected. I thought she was just asking questions to feed the rumour mill. After all, all housewives have a connection with each other, whatever one knew, the rest will soon finds out... Anyway, moving on. "You want my help?"

"Yes, if it's not too much trouble. I need someone to acquire some mushrooms from the forest"

"Mushrooms?" I look around the shop. "This is a sweet shop isn't it? Why do you need mushrooms? Is it for dinner?"

"No. the mushrooms are the key ingredients for our best selling treats"

That's news to me. "You use... mushroom to make candies?"

"Not just candies, in fact, most of the stuff on sale here requires that particular mushroom"

"... Seriously?"

"I admit that it might seem weird, but those mushrooms have special properties that are the key to most of our sweets. We usually have some stocked, but yesterday one of the workers accidently spilled them all. We still have a bit left, but it won't last..."

"Oh, okay? But why are you asking me? Isn't there anyone else that can do it?"

"The usual people just went in a few days ago, so they won't be making another trip for a while"

"Why not? I'm sure if you pay them extra they'll do the job"

"I would, but they still haven't recovered from their previous trip. I heard they went too deep and lost their way inside the forest for a while"

I waited for the rest of the story, but when it become clear that she's not saying anymore, I got to ask. "And...?"

The mother looks at me in confusion before she claps her hand on her mouth. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forget that you just arrived here" She apologized again. "The forest of magic is hazardous to humans; the very air itself weakens your body. I've even heard that the youkai would stay away from the forest as they're unable to stand the smell"

"Okay, doesn't sound like a friendly place, and you want me to go in there?"

"You'll be fine as long that you didn't stay in there for too long. So can you please...?" She bowed down again. Clearly she's very desperate for help.

"I dunno..." I'm not so sure about this. Keine did tell me to stay away from the forest, so...

"I know it's quite unreasonable, so I'm not forcing this on you, but if you could lend the hand I would really appreciate it"

Normally I would've said no. No matter how many times I replayed it in my head, this request sounded dangerous. Yet for some reason, I'm unable to turn my back against this lady's request. "Hah... are the mushrooms deep in the forest?"

"No, you can find them just a few minutes in; the hard part is finding them"

"... Okay, I'll give it a go, what do these mushrooms look like?"

* * *

><p>A few steps into the forest and I'm already feeling that this is a very bad idea.<p>

It's still lights out when I arrived, how did it get dark so suddenly? Does the sunlight get blocked by the trees? It could be plausible as these trees are huge... but there should be at least a few splotches of light hitting the ground... It's just plain dark in here, with barely enough light for me to not trip over tree roots.

This place is creepy... And that eerie warning from the lady..._"Whatever you do, do not breathe the air directly; use this scarf to filter your breath" _I tighten the blue scarf around my face. She seemed really serious about that, best not to take the warning lightly.

Actually, I've been feeling kinda weird for a while now... best if I hurry it up.

"Mushroom, mushroom..." Looking around, there are so many mushrooms of different kinds as far as the eyes can see. In fact, other than mushroom, nothing else grows aside from the trees and bushes.

Let's see... it should be around here somewhere... the lady said the mushroom I am looking for gives out a flicker of a blue light. That's my best bet to find it.

I look around the area. Blue light... With the dark surrounding it should be easy to spot but so far I haven't seen any... Wait, there's a small light coming from the bottom of that tree. Is that it?

I carefully move the hindering bushes, and underneath it is...

"Ah, this is it" I exclaimed. Hiding under the bushes, is a cluster of light blue mushroom. The tip is giving out a faint glow and the stem is growing out of the root of the tree. It's exactly as the one that the lady described. "Lucky. I'll just grab these..." I reached out toward the mushrooms... and suddenly the scarf around my face is snagged by an unsuspecting branch and fell off.

"Ack" I breathed in surprise. My nose is instantly flooded with... I dunno? Spores or something? Whatever it is, it's very overwhelming; my whole body instantly tensed up, my nose started to itches and...

"ACHOO!"

* * *

><p>A gust of wind blasted through the forest. The forest that previously very quiet and solemn becomes loud as leaves starts shaking all over the place. It only last for a few seconds before everything goes back to quiet state.<p>

"... Bless him..." A black and white witch quietly whispered as she places her hat back on after it was blown away by the wind. "That was unexpected" She said as she watched the boy rewrap his scarf around his face again, completely unaware of what he just did.

"Marisa, why are we hiding?" Another girl is also with her. Unlike Marisa, her outfit, consisted of a simple blue dress decorated with pink ribbons does not scream out her profession as a magician.

"Just because. It's fun isn't it?"

"..." The girl shot Marisa an annoyed look, one that has been practiced much over the years for this particular target.

"What's with that look?"

"Hah... forget it. Anyway, who is he? I've never seen him before"

"That's Shirou. He's new around here"

"Ha... I'm surprised. Never expected you to be the more informed one out of the both of us"

"He-he, I was there when Yukari first dropped him from the outside world. You should've seen Reimu when..."

"Hold up. From the outside world... so he's a human?"

"Yup"

"And somehow he just let out a shockwave of uncontrolled magical energy?"

"Yup"

The girl quietly thinks before she grabbed Marisa's collar and drag her face closer to hers'. "Tell me everything that you know about him"

"Whoa, okay. Just let go"

The girl, now painfully aware of the distance between their face, quickly shove her back. "Ugh forget it. I'm going home" She grumbled, face red in embarrassment.

"H-Hey! Wait up! Alice~~~!"

"Go away"

* * *

><p>The lady is overjoyed when I gave her the dozen of mushroom that I gathered. "These are exactly what I needed. Thank you very much. Me and my family owes you a great deal of gratitude for helping us gather"<p>

"I'm happy to help, and there were no youkai attacking this time so all is good"

"Nevertheless, thank you so much. Here, have some mame-daifuku, and since you brought quite a lot, take this pack of rice crackers with you also"

Some? What she just gave me is one large bag filled to the brim with mame-daifuku... and those rice crackers... there are at least 2 dozen of them in that pack... "I-is this really okay? This seems... a lot just for getting some mushrooms"

She shakes her head. "No, I insist, or would you prefer coins instead?"

"Uh, no-no. I guess I'll take these... Thank you very much"

"No, thank you."

"Yeah... uh... no problem... thanks again for these... I'll be taking my leave now. Tell Kasumi I said Hi"

"Certainly. Have a nice day, and thank you once again"

"Will do"

I can see her bowing down as I left the shop. She certainly seems very thankful for the help... Though I still can't imagine how one is supposed to make sweet stuff using mushrooms.

I look at the shop sign one more time.

"_Sweet Delight-Our sweets are magical!_"

Uh-huh... magical, right, whatever that means... Anyway, I don't think I'll have any food trouble for the next two days. For now, I'll just drop these off at home.

* * *

><p>The moment I touched my door handle I knows that something's wrong. Why I thought so? Because an overpowering smell of sake is coming from inside my home and last time I checked, I don't have any sake in the house.<p>

With that said, the only person I've met so far that I can associate with sake is...

"Shirou! Welcome back!" A tiny oni greeted me as I entered the house.

Why is there a drunken oni in my house? The smell of sake is really strong... so she's been here for a while. "Suika? How did you...? What are you doing here?"

"Nothing much, just looking for a drinking partner. I was at Reimu's, but then she told me about your place and I thought, hey, why not"

Great, thanks a lot Reimu. So this morning she didn't ask for permission to let the oni knows about my place, she's asking for permission to dump her at my place. Really, that shrine maiden...

"By the way, you got anything good to go with the sake?"

I look at the bags in my arms. "Uh... Yeah... I think so... Let me just grab a tray..."

"Don't forget a sakazuki. Or maybe you can just drink straight from my gourd"

"I'll get it!" I hastily went to the shelves and grab the saucer like cup from it. Nothing good will happen if I drink straight from that limitless gourd. I also grab an empty bowl for the rice crackers and a wide wooden serving tray for the daifuku. I'm not sure how much an oni eats, so I put most the snacks into the tray.

Preparations done, I carry the now full tray to my 'house guest'. Said guest's eyes shines with mirth when she saw what I brought her. "Ooh, its mam-daifuku" She quickly helped herself to one of the tasty treat. "Mm... It's good"

I helped myself to one of the rice cracker. It's not bad at all...

"You know, Reimu would be really jealous if she finds out we ate these without her"

"Really?" She does strike me as rather... deprived. "What did she normally eat?"

"Um... bean soup? And rice crackers? Maybe leftovers from the parties?" Her tiny shoulder shrugged before she grabs another daifuku off the tray.

The image of Reimu weeping as she twirled a spoon on a bowl of bean soup popped in my head. "That's... kind of..."

"Sad, I know, but that's Reimu for you. Anyway, why are you not drinking?" She snagged the cup of the floor and completely fills it up with sake. "Here you go, drink up" The oni forced the cup into my hand.

I wobbled a bit from the force of the hand off, and a small amount of sake splashes into my clothes.

Wow, first time I drank sake like this. And this saucer is big... It's at least 15 inches in diameter and it's filled to the brim with sake.

... I am quite thirsty after that trip to the forest. Come to think of it, I haven't drunk anything since the tea this morning with Reimu.

Well, bottom's up.

I put the edge of the cup in my mouth and start drinking.

"Gulp-gulp-gulp" Even with the constant stream of sake, it still take a while for me to finish the cup. "Huff..." I muttered as I put down the now empty cup.

"Oooh..." Suika muttered in awestruck tone.

"W-what?"

"I like you. You can drink"

Of course, that's a given considering my previous occupation. Having handled a nightclub's alcohol for years, I've built up quite a resistance to it. Of course, I still cannot go beyond my racial limitation, human can only handle a certain level of alcohol in our system before out innards start self destructing. But still... "Coming from an oni, that's quite the praise"

"He-he. You want some more?"

"Hm... maybe later"

"Why not? C'mon, no need to hold back. Here's I'll fill your cup again"

The oni tries to reach out for the cup but I quickly move it out of her reach. "No, it's okay really. I'll drink again later"

"But I insist" Either she's not recognising the refusal or she didn't care, but this little oni is trying to snatch the cup off my hand.

"I said later, really" I keep moving the cup away from her. Fortunately her arms is a shorter than mine, so she's having a hard time trying to get the cup from—Ack!

With a flick of her tiny hand she floored me. Dammit, with her childlike appearance I just completely ignored the fact that she an oni.

Seizing the chance, Suika climbed on top of me and pinned me down with one arm. She smiles drunkenly as she uses her other arm to being her gourd to her mouth. "Pwah... C'mon, drink... I'll fill your..." Her eyes trailed to my cup that's lying a few feet away from where she pinned me.

In my defence, it's hard to keep hold of things when an oni pushed you down...

"Hm... oh well, who need a cup"

My eyes widened at hearing such a dangerous suggestion from the childlike oni. If she do that, I'm gonna wake up with the mother of all hangovers tomorrow... or worse, I won't wake up at all! "Suika! You're really drunk! Let go!" I tried to struggle, but Suika got a really damn strong hold on me. I can't move at all!

"What do you mean I'm drunk? I'm always drunk. Anyway, here comes the sake..." She slowly tilted her gourd over my face.

Someone help me!

The door slammed open.

"Hi hi! Aya Shameimaru is here. Hey there Shirou-san! Can I get another..." She paused as she saw me and Suika. I guess we're in a pretty compromising position ,with her straddling my waist and all. "Am I interrupting something? I can come back again later"

No you do not! Thank the Gods for such a perfect timing! "Suika! I think that tengu over there hasn't drank any sake for a week!" I desperately shouted out.

"Really?" Her gourd came to a stop. Aside from a few tiny drops, nothing else hit my face. "Is that true?" She turns to ask the newest house crasher.

Aya blinked, once, twice, before an understanding look appear on her face. "Well... It's not a week, but it's true that I haven't had sake for a while" She said with a nod.

I don't know whether she's lying or not, but it seems to have worked as Suika's attention is now diverted from me. "In that case, come join us. There's plenty of sake for everyone" The oni almost too happily invited her in.

"Well, who am I to refuse such an offer?" Aya walked into the house and picked up the sake tray I dropped. Looking at me, she sent me a look that I easily translate as 'You owe me for this'. Not seeing any other choices, I wordlessly nodded from my pinned position.

Happy from seeing my resigned nod, Aya sits down and holds up the cup. "So, little oni, fill it up"

"Okay!" Suika get off me as she headed over to the tengu.

Having regained my freedom of movement, I slowly sit back up. That was dangerous. Note to self: never say no to a drunken oni again, ever. It's much safer to pass out from over drinking than being force fed sake for refusing to drink any.

* * *

><p>"So how did you find my home?" I directed the question at my latest house intruder.<p>

"A reporter has her sources"

Sources? The only one that knows that I live here is Reimu, Keine, and just recently, Suika. The first two doesn't seem like the type to blab about it, and Suika just found out earlier today, so none of them can be her sources. So how did she find out? Has she been stalking me? "Hah, whatever... Suika, can I have another?" I handed out a much smaller sake cup to her.

"Sure thing" She's but all too happy to top my cup with sake.

Having learned my lesson, I slowly sip the sake instead of gulping it down. The less often my cup is empty the better "Ah... it's good..." I muttered.

"So Shirou-san? Can I have a quick interview?"

"Didn't you just put me in the front page today? Seriously, most of today's trouble comes from that article..."

"Ah, sorry I guess. So, about that interview..."

"... Go ahead"

"... I know you probably have some reservation about this, but—Wait, really? No objection whatsoever? This is new..."

"Just start asking before I change my mind..." I did owe her for her timely arrival. If she didn't show up when she did, I would probably be drowning in sake at the moment.

"Well, I'm not going to look at horse gift in the mouth. In that case, I've only got one question for you. How did you defeat those youkai? For a normal human to perform such a feat, that is practically unheard off"

Let's see... what kind of roundabout answer can I give that'll satisfy this reporter? I could always dodge the question with a few nicely worded facts, but will it satisfy her? Coming clean is also a solution, but I don't need the attention plus Reimu won't be happy if my abilities become public knowledge. "Hm... I got lucky?"

"I won't deny that you're being lucky. But having good fortune does not explain how you manage deliver critical blows on those youkai. According to a certain source who treated their wounds, when they first arrived at her clinic they were suffering from multiple concussions and one of them had his windpipe crushed"

"O-ouch... They're going to be okay right?"

"They're youkai, so they won't die from those wounds, though I imagine their pride has taken quite a beating"

"Ahaha...ha..." Kinda felt guilty, but then again, they were trying to eat me, so I'm not exactly regretting it either.

"After they regained consciousness, I tried to interview them. They're not too happy to talk about your battle; two of them even attacked me. As you probably guessed, I didn't learn much from that lead, but one of them accidentally let it slip that you put them down with one blow each"

"D-did I... ha-ha..."

Suika who hadn't drank anything as she listened to the conversation suddenly chirped in her opinion. "Way to go Shirou! One hit takedowns! Nice job, though if it were me, I'd take all of them down with one blow" She's not bragging, merely stating a fact. "By the way, how did you do that? I thought you could only shoot danmaku bullets"

She said it!

The one thing that Reimu and I tried to hide, she said it without any hesitation whatsoever! Make it even worse; she said it right in front of a reporter!

Said reporter still has her jaw open in surprise. I guess the truth hits harder than she expected. 'S..." Her mouth is opening and closing, but there's barely any sound coming out of it.

"Aya?"

"S... Sc..."

I wave my hand in front of her face. "Hello? Anybody home?"

"Sc..." No reaction.

Suika also joined in by lightly poking the tengu's cheek. "Shirou, I think you broke her" She commented.

"How is it my fault?"

"Sco..."

"Aya, wake up... Aw man, Reimu somehow gonna pin this on me and kill me for it"

"S... sco..."

"Aya! Helloo!" I grab her shoulder and start shaking her.

What happens next caught me completely off guard.

"SCOOOOOOOOOOPPP!" Like a dam bursting out, the tengu let out a roar as she starts writing non-stop in her journal. She's writing so fast, I won't be surprised if her notes caught on fire... In fact, I think I see smoke coming out of it.

"Well what do you know, she's just having a delayed reaction" Suika commented.

I dryly looked at her. "Yeah, I think I noticed..."

The oni shrugged as she starts drinking from her gourd again. She stopped just after 6 gulps. "Oh yeah, speaking of danmaku, I'm supposed to give these to you" She takes out a few pieces of papers and gave them to me.

I looked at the papers, they look a lot like a paper talisman, but there's nothing drawn on its white surface. No matter from what angle I view it, they seems like ordinary plain paper. "Okay? What are these for?"

"Blank spell cards I think. Reimu said it's for you"

"SCOOOOOOOOOOPPP!" Another roar from the reporter. She must've heard the conversation then.

I quickly slipped the cards into my pocket. "... Aya? You're starting to scare me..."

She ignored my comment as she keeps writing, though the speed has reduced significantly. "Oh this is big. The human outsider can fight in danmaku! Is this the mark of a new era or is he just one of a kind?"

"One of a kind?"

"Yup, one of a kind. As the only male human who can perform danmaku, do you have any comments?"

"The only guy? Really?"

"Yes. All of the youkai here can perform danmaku to an extent, but not everyone is interested in danmaku. Until now, only girls were doing it properly"

"You're special, aren't you glad?" Another voice joined the conversation. I know this voice, but last time I checked, said owner of the voice is not present in this house.

"Yukari? What are you...? Have you been eavesdropping?"

"My, haven't you realized yet? Snooping is one of the few things I do best"

"Ugh..."

"The gap youkai... So you're the one behind this"

"Probably... does it matter?"

"Uh... I guess not" Wow, Aya seems intimidated by Yukari. Is this lady that Reimu keep calling a 'gap hag' really that powerful?

"Glad that we reached an understanding. Since that put me in a good mood, I think I won't mind answering a few questions regarding our new friend here"

"You will?" Aya seems surprised. She's not the only one, I'm also surprised while Suika... Well, Suika is just being Suika as she completely ignored the proceedings while drinking sake.

"Like I said, I'm in a good mood. Shirou, can I have some of these snacks? I can? Thanks" She didn't even wait for my reply before she starts eating one of the daifuku.

"Yukari, are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, letting people know about this... I don't see anything but trouble coming from it" I asked her.

"Hm? What's the matter Shirou? Didn't you enjoy a good danmaku match two days ago?"

"Uu... well...it was fun, but..."

"Then won't it be better to reveal your abilities instead of hiding them? You might get asked for more matches that way"

"Well... yeah..."

"And the more experience you have, the better you are at defending yourself from youkai attacks. Maybe they'll even stop attacking you when the word is out that you've tangled with some strong opponents"

"I guess that is possible..."

"Then won't you agree that it is more beneficial for you to let the words spread?"

Those are some very convincing arguments. I can't even find any words to say even though I'm trying to oppose her. It's like she just blown off my concerns with cold hard logic. "Uu... damn you're good..." I admitted defeat.

"I aim to please. Now be a good boy and go play with Suika while we grownups have a chat"

"Urk... fine..." I reluctantly backed away. I don't think anything I'd say at this point will change anything. Hah... whatever comes, comes I guess. Now should I tell Reimu about this or should I let her find out about it herself when she saw the papers?

Either way, I doubt she'll be happy about this.

* * *

><p>"Well then. As... a very knowledgeable informant. What would you say about our recent newcomer's abilities of performing danmaku? Would he be a decent challenge for the veterans? Or will he fall short even to the ice fairy?"<p>

"I'd say he could be a very interesting opponent in danmaku. He still got ways to go, but I see potentials in him, something that the half ghost gardener would definitely agreed with"

"Are you saying he had a danmaku with her?"

"Indeed I am. And I must say, it was quite an... interesting match, with an outcome that no one could even predicted"

"He defeated her?"

"No... The match has to be postponed due to... an unforeseen circumstances"

"Hm... the way you said it, this is something very interesting. ...I'll be sure to interview the gardener later on. Or maybe I could try her mistress instead... she was present during the match, am I correct?"

"She's there, from beginning to end"

"Good, I'm sure she has some interesting insight about him, though I wouldn't be honest if I say I'm not looking forward to interviewing her"

"That I won't doubt"

* * *

><p>Yukari left soon after she finished her interview. With a polite bow and taking more than half of the daifuku, she left through one of her gap. Now it's back to just me, a very drunk Suika, and a very happy Aya.<p>

We were finishing up the remaining snacks when Aya popped a question. "Shirou-san, can I ask you something?"

"What else do you wanna know? Didn't you get enough from Yukari already?"

"Oh, I'm not asking that, the concept of unknown ability is always more interesting after all. I just want to ask where you got all these daifuku. These are usually limited and hard to get, but you managed to acquire a lot of them this late in the day..."

"Really? These are that good? Wait a sec, am I the only one that hasn't taken a bite out of them?"

"Reimu would be green with envy if she finds out about this...hic" Suika is swaying left and right. She's really drunk at this point, not surprising since the amount of sake she has consumed is just insane. Normal human would've keel over and died a long time ago, but this oni is happily smiling and keeps drinking.

"They're really good. But answer the question please"

"Well... one thing led to another... and I ended up running an errand for a lady. She gave me these for thanks"

"Really? This is quite the gratitude. You must've done something very important for her"

"Probably..." I reached out for one of the daifuku and take a bite out of it. Instantly, my senses are flooded with deliciousness. "Wow, these really are good... If I can get stuff like this for doing errands then I don't mind doing it for a living"

"Really? That seemed pretty simplistic for an occupation"

"Often enough, the best things are simple by nature. I help them, they give me food. It doesn't get any simpler than that. Of course, I won't say no to some money either..."

"I see..." The tengu muttered quietly before she flipped open her notebook and start writing in it.

"What are you writing?" I asked her.

"Just a quick note to self, nothing special" She casually answers before she flips the notebook back to her pocket. Getting up from the floor, the tengu let out a quiet yawn before she flexed her wings a bit. "Well, I'll be going then. Got another potential scoop to follow before calling it a day"

"Okay, until next time then... Please don't write anything too strange"

"Of course not. This crow is only after the truth. Bye now" Aya gave a quick salute before she briskly flew right out the door.

"... I don't think misguided truth counts as truth..." Nothing I can do now but wait. I hope Yukari knows what she's doing when she agreed to that interview. I won't be surprised if she did that just to mess with me though.

"So, Suika, when are you going home?"

"Zzzz..."

"And you're asleep. Why am I not surprised" Guess I got a guest for the night. Now the question is, do I have a spare futon around here?

**End Day 5**

* * *

><p><strong>And that's chapter 5 done. Tried to make the interview as close to how Bohemian Archive in Japanese Red do it. Though I can't exactly think of much to write ofor the interview...<strong>

**Next chapter, Shirou officially get his spell cards! Giant laser beam inbound! **

**Please review.**

**Profile Update:**

**Suika Ibuki**

**Tiny/Little Pandemonium**

Shirou's Note: In a hindsight, she's an oni and she's always drunk. With how she usually acts, I sometimes forget that she's an oni. I think she's friendly enough, though sometimes she's overly friendly... and with her oni strength... that could potentially be dangerous. Still, even with the potential danger, she seems like a fun person, and I don't have any problem associating myself with her. Though I hope she won't try to drown me with sake again...


	6. Day 17: Got My Spell Card Right Here!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**One month for this chapter... my bad...**

**In this chapter I've taken a number of liberties with the concept of spell cards. I'm stating it here so people won't be confused by it.**

**Now without further ado: the true beginning of the story! (You can consider Day 1-5 as one giant prologue)**

**Day 17- Got My Spell Card Right Here!**

**(Y**es, it's already day 17! You're not reading that wrong!)****

* * *

><p>Today is a good day, not counting the fact that I was woken up this morning by loud banging on the door. I grumbled as I force my barely functioning brain to move my feet toward the door. At least this time the person at the door has the patience to keep banging on the door instead of just intruding in.<p>

Opening the door, I was greeted by a big burly man. "Evening!" His voice is boisterous even with just one sentence. How could one be that energetic this early of the day? I glance at the sun, position wise, I'm guessing it's somewhere before mid day. "Got the box you commissioned. Where do you want it?"

"Box...?" My mind is still a bit slow as I rubbed my sleepy eyes. Last night was quite rowdy so waking up is even harder than normal. I look toward the object behind the man. It's square, kinda big, and made of wood. The circuit in my head let out a spark as it finally started working.

Yesterday afternoon I was out exploring the village when I happened to passed by a craftsman workshop. Seeing a chance to finally get Reimu's nagging to a stop, I went inside and placed an order for a shrine donation box. The craftsmen are confused with my unusual request, but they accepted it as I'm a paying customer.

"Oh! That box. Yes, just..."I paused before I asked him to bring it inside. Not too sure what kind of reaction I'll get if he saw the current state of my house, or more precisely, the uninvited guest inside. "Uh... just leave it here for now"

"If you say so. Just be careful, it's heavier than it looks" He warned me.

"Don't worry, its fine"

The man stares at me sceptically before he shrugged. "All right. Have a nice day"

"Yeah. Thanks again" I watch the man walked away before I turn my attention to the box that he left behind. Giving it a quick look over, I think it good enough to pass as a shrine's donation box. And the craftsmanship... for a one day work, this box is done very nicely; the wood is shiny and well polished. It's a bit plain since I wasn't so sure what kind of embellishment it needed, but it'll do, as long that it's square and the grated top is wide enough for taking donations. I lifted the top open to peer inside. "It's empty..." I close it again.

Now all I got to do is carry this to her shrine. Only problem is I have no idea where her shrine is. I know that it's somewhere on the east, but the exact detail evades me. Another problem is the box itself; it doesn't seem too heavy, but it's not exactly light either. I remember that the shrine is quite a distance from the village, so carrying it would be a problem.

Thankfully, the answer to these problems is currently in my house. Still sleeping I think. Not surprising considering the amount of sake that she drank last night... I wonder if it's safe for me to wake her? With her ridiculous strength it could easily become a one hit kill situation if I'm not careful.

"Hm..."As I was pondering, the subject of my thoughts walked out the door.

"Morning!" Suika chirpily greeted me.

I sighed at her chirpy attitude. "Seriously, how could you not have a hangover after all that drinking last night?"

"Mm?" Suika mumbled out with her gourd in her mouth. She's already drinking again, and so early in the morning, should I be worried or jealous in this situation? "What's a hangover?" She asked after she finished her sake intake.

"Hah... never mind"

Suika questioningly tilted her head to the side at my dismissal remark.

By the way, this is the third time Suika crashed at my place in the week. After the first night she fall asleep at my house, she seemed to have registered my home as a good spot for an all night drinking session. I asked her why she doesn't just go home, and she said_, "My neighbour is making a lot of racket lately so I can't drink in peace. So, until she calmsdown, I need a new place to sleep"_ According to her, aside from my place, she's also been crashing at Reimu's for the past week or so.

"Anyway, think you can give me a hand with this?" I place my hand on the wooden box.

"Oh? Is this the replacement for Reimu's donation box? You actually got her one?" Somehow she sounded surprised here.

"Well yeah, I said that I would didn't I?"

"True, you did..." She seems... glad? Appreciative?

"...?"

The oni ignores my questioning look. "Okay then, you wanted me to bring this to the shrine right?" She approached the box and easily lifted it with just one hand. "Let's go then"

"Let's? What do you-WHOA!" Out of nowhere, a swarm of tiny suikas popped all around me. Before I can react, they all grabbed on to me and lifted me into the air. "The heck is this?"

"Onward! Last one there gets no sake!"

With a loud cheer, the tiny Suikas blast forwards, quickly gaining height and momentum. "Aw man..." I murmured as I glanced toward the ground. I'm way past the level of safe fall now, so there's nothing else I can do beside be still and accept my fate of being manhandled by these tiny Suikas. I do have one concern though...

"Hey Suika... what's with all these tiny clone of yours?"

"What's up? Never seen an oni divide themself before?"

"Not really, considering you're the first oni I met. Anyway, I just got to ask... um... Is this really the best way to carry me?"

Let me describe my current situation, at the moment; I am sprawled in mid-air, with at least a dozen tiny Suikas holding me up in the air. It's weird and embarrassing, but what concerns me the most is that these tiny Suikas are not exactly what I call organised. I can hear the Suikas chatting amicably underneath me, there are even a few that are using my stomach as a platform to play around.

"It's fine. There are plenty of me to catch you if you fall"

"That's... how about not dropping me at all?"

"We'll see, no promise though"

"Suika..."

* * *

><p>The shrine maiden was enjoying a cup of tea with a side of rice crackers on her veranda when we arrived.<p>

"Reimu! I come to play!" Suika announced out loud as her feet touched the ground.

In cue with her announcement, the tiny hands that were supporting my body from underneath cease to do so. Gravity quickly takes hold and pulled me right into the hard pavement. "Gwah!" I landed flat on my back.

Reims face entered my vision as she peered over me. "Have a fun trip?" She got the gall to smirk as she asked the question. She's clearly enjoying my misery.

"Yeah, real blast..." I answered her with extra serving of sarcasm. "The only way it could've gone better would be if I was dead drunk, at least that way I won't remember much of it"

"Careful, Suika might take that as a promise"

"Duly noted" I muttered. I force myself up and manage to push myself into a sitting position amidst the nausea from being airsick. Well, at least there's only minimum physical pain, so it's not so bad...

_Thwack! _I spoke to soon! Something hard bounced off my head and clattered to the ground.

I collapse backward again. "O-Ow..." I groaned as I hold my head.

"Oops, my bad" A tiny Suika flew into view as she apologizes before she disperse into the wind.

"Why does this kind of things keep happening to me...?" I whined in pain. Glancing to my right, I quickly spotted the object that just bounced off my head. It was my sword, Suika must've took from home and brought it with her also.

I saw a hand picked up my sword from the ground. "So, you finally got me a new donation box?" Reimu asked as she rested the sheathed sword on her shoulder.

"Yup. Here's one completely empty donation box, just as you wanted" Suika chirpily answered as she wave the box above her head.

"... You didn't have to add that unnecessary titbits, but really, it's about time. Thanks"

"No problem... now please make my head stop spinning"

* * *

><p>I slowly drink down the warm tea. "Ah... that's good..." I sighed in bliss.<p>

Now that her shrine is once again equipped with a donation box, Reimu is in a pretty good mood, she's been smiling ever since Suika put the new donation box on the shrine. "Well, despite the fact that you're an uninvited guest at the moment, I must thank you for coming here. Sure saves me the trouble of looking for you" Even her voice is lacking the usual bite though it still has that sharp edge.

"Uninvited? Even though you already intruded into my house twice already"

"Oooh, he got you there Reimu" Suika commented before she starts drinking sake again. She tried offering sake to both me and Reimu, but a prompt no from Reimu stopped her immediately.

The shrine maiden throw an annoyed glare at the oni. "That's the pot calling the kettle black. Anyway, do you still have the spell cards I gave you?"

I remember the cards that Suika gave me some days ago. It wasn't exactly a priority for me, so I completely forgot about them until now. I last remember pocketing them... and since I never washed my pants since then... I checked my pocket and pulled out a few pieces of papers. "Are these it?"

Reimu's face soured when she saw the condition of the papers. "Do I wanna know why it's all crumpled up?"

"Um... no?" This is just a guess, but I don't think any girl would react well if I told them that I never washed or changed my clothes for a whole week or more.

"Haah... oh well, it should still work. Now then, Marisa told you the basic of spell cards didn't she?"

"She did, and I've also seen a few already, so I have good grasp on the concept"

"I guess that's good enough, nothing beats firsthand experience after all" Reimu nodded to herself. She conveniently forgot that she's one of the few that has shown me her spell cards, in a painful manner if I might add. "Now then, after some consideration, I decided to let you have a few spell cards of your own"

I kinda expected that when Suika gave me these cards, but according to the oni, the cards are blank so it's useless in its current state. "Okay. So why did you gave me these blank cards? I'm sure you know I have no idea on what I'm supposed to do with them"

"Haah... They needed to be in close proximity with you to attune them to your persona. Normally we just run our energy through them to attune the cards, but since you're a special case, we have to do this the slow way by letting the cards attune themself by exposing them to your... unique condition"

"I see..." I look at the cards in my hand again. So they're now 'attuned' to me? Meaning what? "So what am I supposed to do now?"

"Pass me one" Reimu took one of the cards from me. She holds it for a few seconds before she returned it to me. "It's good, now you just have to inscribe the spell effect now"

"Inscribe it?"

"Long and complicated explanations aside, just put a card to your forehead and think on what you want it to do" She answered nonchalantly.

Seriously? Now I'm curious on the omitted long and complicated explanation. Just what kind of process is involved that I can make spell cards by doing something so simple? I'm tempted to ask, but I doubt anything will come by asking; either I won't understand a thing or Reimu won't even bother to explain. So ignoring that... "What kind of spell card can I make?"

"Whatever you want, as long that it's within your power or ability"

"Within my power? So what exactly I can do? Beside the copying thing?"

"I dunno... figure it out yourself" Gee, what a big help you are...Can't you at least give me any hint or something? Or at least act like you're interested in this. "Just hold them to your head and think on what you want to do; what it looks like, what it's supposed to do, you can even name the spell. The card will do the rest"

"Sounded easy enough... I guess I'll give it a try. Any suggestion for my first spell card?"

"Up to you" Reimu casually said before she starts drinking her tea again.

"Make one to have fun" Suika's suggestion is not very helpful, but that's to be expected the drunken oni.

"... Right. Wonderful input... I'll get right on that" I place one of the cards on my forehead. "Like this?" The only answer I get is a slight inclination of the head from the shrine maiden. Good enough I guess.

Okay, so what can I do? I can copy stuff, which is kinda neat by itself... the only thing bad about it is the fact that I have to get shot first before it triggers. Something to copy the opponent without the need of being shot? That would be nice I think...Yeah that would seriously help, especially against youkais that would've preferred to eat me instead of doing danmaku...

While I was still pondering on to do, a slight tingling sensation suddenly courses through my body. It started from my chest and surged upward toward my head. It felt like brain freeze, minus the gripping cold. Right after that, the card in my hand let out a flash of light. When the light recedes, the card in my hand is no longer a blank white paper, there's now an image of a cracked surface in its surface..

"Huh... that actually worked..." Reimu commented.

"Yeah, that's... Hey wait! Why are you sounded surprised about this?"

"What can I say? Unique circumstances call for a unique approach..."

"Ooh, let me see" Suika snatched the card from my hand. "He-he. I seen Reimudid this before" She proudly says as she put the card on her head, similar to what I did just a minute ago. The card slowly emits a soft light. "Um... this one is...for breaking the boundary between personas. Everything that they are is now what you are" The oni said as if she's reading something. "So, what does that means?" She turns towards me.

"It's for copying someone without being shot. At least, that's what I wanted... is that right?" I turns toward Reimu.

Reimu nodded. "That sounds about right. Using the card to force rewrite the state of your existence. Have to say, there are a few cards that bolster or changes one's appearance and ability, but this one sure takes the cake"

"Is it bad?"

The shrine maiden shrugged. "Some people might take offense to this. Best if you use it sparingly or as last resort" She answered as she reaches out for a rice cracker.

"Will do" Offending people is the least I should do in this unfamiliar land.

Suika handed the card back to me. "Make another one!" She all but demanded me to do. She seems more excited about this than I am about this.

"Okay. What else can I do...?"

"Just do what you feel is right, even crazy is fine, Gods knows we already have a few of those; giant laser beam, stopping time, giant sword slashes, making earthquake, Suika here can even turn into a giant" Reimu slowly ticked her finger one by one as she listed the 'crazy' ones from the top of her head.

"Wow, that's... just wow... "I place the second card on my head. "Kind of neat. Wish I can do something like that too- Whoa, already?" That same stinging feeling strikes me once again. This one was fast, I didn't even think about anything just now. What kind of card is this?

Before I can even look at the card, Suika already swiped the card of my hand again. Placing it on her forehead, her face went through different expression; first confusion, then surprise, and lastly excitement. "Hey Reimu, this one is really good!" She all but exclaimed as she turned to the shrine maiden.

With that level of excitement from the oni, I'm now very curious on about that spell card, a sentiment that is not shared by Reimu. "Haah... I'm going to regret this, but what is it?" She drawled out as she takes a sip of her tea again.

"I think this one copies someone else's spell card!"

"Buwah!" Ack, Reimu, a shrine maiden should have a more dignified manner than that. They're not supposed to do a spit take on their guest. At least it's only on my face, nothing spilled on my clothes. "Let me see that" Swiping the card from the oni, she quickly places it on her head. "No way... it does copies spell cards... Through sorting and distorting, takes in an unchained ability from the opponent..." She mumbled out quietly. "This is... it's not exactly wrong, but I can't just... if there's more limitation..." She keeps mumbling. As she does that, the glow on the card intensifies slightly.

Me and Suika exchanged a look at each other. Reimu's level of seriousness must've confused her too. Unsure on what's going on, I kept my mouth shut as to not bother the shrine maiden. The oni did the same too, though in her case it's more like plugging her mouth with her gourd... whatever works I guess.

It took a few minutes before Reimu finish doing whatever she's doing. "Haah... this should do it" She said as she handed the card back to me.

I gingerly take the card from her. "Thanks?"

"I added a new restriction on the card; it'll now just take one spell card per person. Other than that everything else is the same" Reimu said before she gulps down the rest of her tea in one go. "Though honestly I'm still a bit sketchy about letting you use that one"

"I don't see what's wrong with him using that" Suika voiced her opinion.

"Well, it's not wrong from a certain point of view, but considering the lack of limitation on his ability, and the amount of possibility given from that one spell card, I can't help but think that he's breaking the spell card rules every time he uses the card" Reimu grumbled as she whirled towards me, fingers stretched at me. "Dammit, why is your existence so annoying?"

The answer to that is quick to pop in mind. In fact, I think everyone here already knows the answer to that, even the person who asked said question. "Blame that on Yukari" I answered without hesitation.

The shrine maiden visibly deflated before she turns back to her tea and gulp it in frustration. "Ugh... I need something stronger" She complained as she peers down at her now empty cup. "Suika, sake" She all but demanded from the oni.

"Sure thing" And the oni is all but too happy to comply as she refiled the empty cup with sake from her gourd.

"Ahaha..." I can't help but let out a weak laugh as I watch the shrine maiden start gulping down sake by the shots. I shifted my attention to the card in my hand; the drawn image of a distorted figure is quick to catches my eye. "So what can you do?" I gingerly asked the card, not really expecting an answer.

At that moment, fate decided to throw me the answer to my question. The door to the shrine suddenly opens and a familiar figure clad in black and white entered the room. "Oi Reimu! I'm here to play!"

"..." Reimu wordlessly drink her sake.

"Hm?" I glance up from the card.

"Hi-hic" Suika's... well, she's Suika...

Marisa walked in amidst the chilly reception. "What's with the frosty welcome? Oh, hey Shirou, Suika" As she greeted me, her eyes falls on the card in my hand. "Hm? What's this?" In one breath she expertly swipes the card out of my hand. "A spell card? I don't know this symbol... Who's this?"

I slowly raised my hand. "Mine, and so is this one"I showed her the other spell card in my possession.

"You can use spell cards? Nice, so what does this one do?" She asked as she wave the card in her hand.

"Apparently it copies other spell cards" I honestly gave her the answer.

The last word barely left my mouth and I already regretted saying it. Marisa's eyes are glowing in barely contained glee. "Seriously? Now that's the most interesting thing I've heard in months. I'm definitely putting this one into my grimoire. Have you tried it yet? What is it like?"

I shake my head in negatory. "I just got it minutes ago. So no, I haven't tried it yet"

"Oh..." If it's possible, her excitement level just doubled. "Then let's try it right now! Reimu, no objection to that right?"

"Hm... Not exactly. Just don't make too much of a mess"

"All right! Shirou, you up for a round of danmaku?"

"I don't mind"

"In that case, let's go then"

"Oka—OI! Let go! I can walk by myself!"

Reimu watched the witch dragged him away. She lets out a big sigh as she stands up. "Well then, let's see how what could quite possibly be the most broken spell cards in the history of Gensokyo will fare in its first run. Are you coming Suika?"

"Okay"

* * *

><p>After much hustle and bustle, I found myself standing at the shrine's courtyard with Marisa standing a distance away. I don't mind a danmaku match, but I can't help but feeling a bit squeamish at the witch's eagerness. "So how am I supposed to use this thing?" No matter how I look at it, the card doesn't have an on switch for my convenient usage.<p>

"Just hold it up and say its name"

"Name?"

"You haven't named them yet? Then just give it a temporary name for now. You can just change it again later"

"Okay, just give me a second" I place the card back on my head. Hm, can't be bothered to think of a name right now, so something simple will have to do. I thought up a quick name and said it in my mind, and as I do the card lets out small flash. Bringing the card to eye level, I can now see small writing underneath the card's image. "So, uh... **Copy Card: Bullet Copy**?"

I shivered as a rush of... something suddenly filled me. Felt a bit weird, it's like... an adrenaline rush But minus the adrenaline. My whole body is tingling with barely restrained energy.

"So? Does it work?" Marisa calls out from where she's standing.

"I think so..." I hold out my hand and a few bullets appear without me even trying.

"That's all you can make? That's not how I do danmaku you know" She mounted her broom as she hovered a few feet above the air. She raised one arm up, a large number of bullets appeared out of thin air all around her. "This is how" Without any warning, she opens fire.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack, all I can do is run away. "We started already?" I yelled out as I push my legs to take me away from the bombardment area. The sound of explosions from whenever the bullets hit the ground spurs me to run even faster.

"All's fair in love and danmaku!" She shot back as she conjured another round of bullets.

"After this is over, you better tell me your definition of fair!" I shout back while focusing my energy to create my own bullets. To my disappointment, only a handful of them appear, and when I shoot them, they start flying all over the place, none of them even get close to the witch.

"Come on! You can do better than that!" Marisa in turn let out another volley of bullets.

"I'm getting there!" I try shooting more bullets, but all I'm getting are the underpowered bullets that have no chance of hitting the witch. "Dammit!" I cursed loudly. This is so annoying! I can feel the energy inside of me, but I don't know how to use them! If only there's a way to help me focus the energy, then maybe I can fire more bullets that doesn't suck.

And then an idea struck me.

"Time out!' I yelled out.

To my relief Marisa stopped attacking. "What's the matter? Giving up already?"

"No, I'm just changing my strategy" I draw out my sword from its sheath. Yukari mentions that this sword helps channel my energy, so if I use it right, just maybe...

Recalling the memory when I fought the half-ghost girl, I let the energy inside me flows again, through my arms, through my hand, and then into the sword. This time I'm not copying Youmu, so the energy flow felt different from that time, it's more wild and untamed, but if I can direct it, and use the blade as an outlet to the energy...

The blade hummed in protest as I force my energy into it, it doesn't seem to be mixing well, but it still holds strong. "Okay, let's try this..." With a wide swing, I forcefully fed more energy into the blade. Unable to contain the sudden influx of energy, the blade lets it out in force mid-swing.

"Eep!" Marisa just barely moves out of the way when a swarm of large yellow bullets flew towards her.

"It actually worked..." I muttered in amazement. The bullets are different from the controlled ones I let out when I was against Youmu. These ones have a wide trajectory; the flight angle is messy and sporadic, much like the bullets Marisa shoot out.

I recalled the card's description._ "Everything that they are is now what you are_" That's what Suika said when she describes this spell card. Then my bullets are different depending who I'm going against? "Huh... this's gonna take some time getting used to..." I muttered to myself.

"What was that for!" Marisa called out from above me.

"That's payback for your earlier cheapshot. Now we're even" I answered as I hold my sword with both hand in a ready position. Forcing my energy into the sword once again, a swarm of bullets appears all around me.

"Hm... You're learning. That's good, I was afraid this would be too easy" The air around her is now filled with dozens of bullets, ready to be fired. "Ready to go again? No more pause after this"

I take a deep breath before I nodded. "Bring it!"

The bullets that were previously lays suspended mid-air starts moving again.

* * *

><p>A series of explosions racked the courtyard. "Ooh, he's not doing too bad..." Suika commented. She and Reimu sat a safe distance away from the match, just in front of the new and still empty donation box. Reimu insisted that they sat there to prevent another stray bullet is from destroying the box again.<p>

Reimu cringed as another volley from Marisa missed their target and impacted on the ground. "Hah... why do people keep using my shrine as a battlefield? I'm the one that have to clean up the mess you know"

"Then get him to do it. Did you know that he's quite the jack of all trades back where he comes from?"

Reimu glanced behind to see a certain youkai popping out of her gap. "I'll keep that in mind. More importantly, Yukari... what are you doing here?" She asked in irritation.

"I was going to play with you for a bit before I go to sleep, but I guess I'll settle with just watching the show"

A series of explosion racked the courtyard.

"No~~ my courtyard..." The shrine maiden is close to tears as she watches the two combatant tear through the courtyard.

"Yup, such quality entertainment... Suika, can I have some sake?"

"Sure thing"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Scene Change

"Ack!" I rolled aside as a lucky bullet manages to graze my left shoulder.

"What's wrong? Can't keep up?" Marisa taunted as she flies around me.

Keeping up is not the problem here, it's the ridiculous number of bullets being fired that's the problem... sure most of them sprayed all over the place, but they're fast and packed more punch than Reimu's and Youmu's. Are those two really holding back that much or is this witch just an exception?

"Still a novice here, give me a break "I raised my sword up as a large number of bullets appeared around me. With a quick downward slash, all the bullets shot out at the same time. To my annoyance, the witch has no problem dodging them... which is a given since all of my shots are also widely spread out like hers...

Fine, guess I just have to fire a lot more then.

I tightened my grip on my sword's hilt as I start swinging the sword in a rapid succession. Each swings launched at least a dozen bullets wildly through the air. "Dammit!" I cursed as most of my shots went astray again. "Don't you have more control over your bullets?"

"Who needs control, danmaku is all about being elegant and beautiful, and superior firepower counts as both if it's flashy enough"

I can't help but to raise an eyebrow at that. "... Beauty and elegance? Really?"

"Yeah, don't you ever notice how pretty a danmaku looks? The proper way to win in one is to beat the opponent using the flashiest display of bullets"

So basically do it in style then? With my bad control I doubt I'll be able to do anything fancy, but then again, being stylish have nothing to do with having good control. Hm... I guess I could try some stuff. For now I'll just extravagate a bit and wing it from there.

"I don't think I can do beautiful or elegant..." I conjured more bullets around me as I raised my sword again. "So I'll try for awesome instead!" I slash the air in front of me with a curve swing. To my surprise, since I wasn't exactly expecting it to work, the bullets I fired shot forward in a swirling pattern. It's still going all over the place, but at least it's no longer moving in a straight line like before.

"Hee... Not bad... but it's still- Whoa!" Marisa is interrupted mid speech when the swirling bullets suddenly shot out toward her at twice its previous speed when I move my sword in a forward thrust toward her.

Watching in amazement at the way my bullets acted, I shifted my gaze to the sword in my hand. This is interesting. So my sword can impose my will on the bullets? Or maybe it's still having a connection with the bullets themself? I better drill Yukari for more info the next time I run into her; every bits of info helps.

My self-pondering is cut short by a shout. "Heads up!" Looking up at the voice, I was quick to notice a wave of bullets coming at me in high speed. Reflex kicking in high gear, I throw myself to the side. Just in time too, as with a rapid cracking noises, all the bullets hits dead on where I was standing on, none of them strayed off course.

"That was a nice shot just now" Marisa seems pleased as she says that.

"Uh... Thanks?" Looking at the tile I was standing previously, the tile is smashed into tiny little pieces. Getting hit by that won't be pretty...

"OI! STOP BREAKING MY COURTYARD!" Reimu voice rang through the courtyard.

Both Marisa and I outwardly winced at how angry she sounded.

"Uwah, she sounded pissed" I commented as I shifted to a less tiled area in the courtyard.

"Ahaha... sorry, I rarely shoot downwards so I forget to control my shots" Marisa mumbled out apologetically. "So Shirou, why don't you try flying? That way I don't have to worry too much about collateral damage" Marisa suggested as she hovered toward the ground.

At the witch's suggestion, I stare at her incredulously. "You're kidding right? Firstly, I don't know how to fly. Secondly, I don't like flying!" Who can blame me on the last one? My experience with flight is barely existents and I didn't exactly have a good time on the two occasions where I was on the air.

"Why not? Flying is easy, and it's a much more convenient way to travel"

"That's for you to say. I'll hold my judgment until I know how to fly myself, and with my messed up ability, I doubt I'll be able to for a long time if ever"

"Oh well, suit yourself. Anyway, ready to go again? "A few dozen bullets appeared around her. That's at least twice the amount than before "I'm taking this a bit more serious, so try not to lose too fast okay?" With that warning, all the bullets shot out towards me.

* * *

><p>"Marisa is barely holding back anymore..." Reimu sighed as she watches the two in front of her tear her courtyard apart.<p>

Suika takes a quick swig from her gourd before she resumes watching the match. "At least she hasn't used her spell cards just yet" She commented.

"She's probably waiting till he uses his"

Yukari who was quietly nodding off in the side quickly perked up when she hears that. "Oh? You gave him a spell card?"

Reimu's eyes narrowed as she turns to the gap youkai. "I had three laying around, so I gave them to him"

The youkai is silent as she quietly gazes onto the newcomer. "Is that so..."

"... What?"

"Hm... it's nothing" The gap youkai observed the ensuing match with renewed interest.

"...I'm surprise you're not against it"

"Why would I?"

"... Right... why would you..." And at that second, the shrine maiden realizes it. Her giving him the spell cards was an outcome that is desired by this plotting youkai. Once again, the gap youkai has gotten what she wanted without doing anything.

Oh how she loathe her...

* * *

><p>"Hah... Hah... Hah..."<p>

Holy heck, I honestly don't know how I survived this long.

Marisa attacks are relentless and unforgiving. So far I manage to evade all the shots minus the few grazing hits. But as I get tired the chances of me taking a direct his is getting higher and higher.

Yet even with all the multiple close calls, even I have to admit that the way Marisa fires her bullets is quite... nice. Ignoring the pain factor, a danmaku bullet is quite pleasing to view, the way it flew through the air in colourful flashes. It certainly doesn't lose to any fireworks display from the outside world.

"Tired already?" The witch asked as she eases up on her attacks.

"Well... yeah... Unlike you, I've been running around for a while now"

"He-he. You could just try flying"

"And risk going splat onto the ground? I'll pass"

"Heh, in that case, why don't you use your other spell card?"

I blinked."Oh yeah... I forgot..." In all the excitement I completely forgot about it. And it is the reason why we're having this match anyway...

I take out the spell card out of my pocket. "Let's see... got to name it first... uh... huh?" When I look at the card, there's already a name written underneath the image. Someone already named it? Who did this? The people who hold this card aside from me is Suika and... Glancing toward the spectators, Reimu slowly nodded her head when her eyes meet mine.

I look down on the card name again. It's quite a fancy name; definitely have a good feel about it. Okay then, let's try this one out! I hold out the spell card toward Marisa and call out the name. **"Shattered boundary: The ever changing illusion of reality!"**

The card let out a flash as I felt a swirling tide of magical energy run through my body. It didn't last long though as the energy move from my body to my hand and then into...

"Hey, your sword is glowing" Marisa stated the obvious.

I can see that, it's hard to miss after all; my sword is glowing brightly with energy. It doesn't seem to make up its mind on what colour it wants to use as it keep flashing to all sort of different colour. Kinda fancy... but...

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I give it a quick swing and nothing happened. I try feeding my energy into the sword to make a bullet and still nothing happen.

"Let me see..." Marisa landed a few steps away from me to take a closer look. "Hm... Is this... it's different, but the magical energy feels the same, and the application of a medium to contain the energy... so maybe..." She ponders and she analyse my sword.

"Any idea?"

"I got a good idea yeah. Now all we need is to test it. Let me give you a hand with that" She said as she remounted her broom again and start hovering away again.

"... I'm afraid to ask, but how exactly are you going to help?"

"By showing you my own spell card of course" Yeah. That's exactly what I'm afraid of. The witch takes out a small device thingy from her robe which she then pointed at me. "This might hurt a bit if it hit, but don't worry, even at worst case you won't die"

"But it still gonna hurt right? Right?"

The witch ignores me as she pointed her hand that's holding the device towards me. The device started to let out a small whine as what appeared to be energy started to gather in front of it. I take a step back without thinking. The scene in front of me is eerily familiar to something that I watched on TV once... It looks like it's going to...

"Get ready then, cause here comes my **Master Spark**!" With a loud boom, the device discharged the accumulated energy outward.

...fire a GIANT LASER BEAM! Evasive manoeuvre! Retreat!

A loud explosion can be heard for miles when the beam impacted the ground.

I landed in a crumpled heap on the ground. "Ow..." That is too close... another second there and I would've been blasted by the giant laser beam instead of being sent flying from the force of the explosion.

Dammit, that blast kicked up too much dirt, I can barely see and my ears are still ringing...

But still... that beam coloration is similar to the one my sword is still giving off... so maybe I can also fire a laser beam? But how? I'm using a sword as a here, how exactly I can make a giant laser beam to shoot out from a sword? There's a thick line of difference between swords and liner beam cannons... Well, I have some ideas, though I'm not too sure about the application.

Ah, the dusts are clearing up.

"Found you" Marisa is already aiming at me, and the telltale energy gathering on her device thingy is already started. Make it even worse; she's just a few metres away from me, there's no way I can evade it if she fired it from there. "One more time!** Love Sign:** **Master Spark**!" Another burst of giant magical laser burst forth towards me who just barely stands up.

Now this is a tricky situation. Not having the time to move away, there are 2 things that I can do. One is to accept fate and go down quietly. The other is to face it head on and go down fighting. It only took me .3 seconds to decide on my course of action. "Hell no! I'm not going down that easily!" I roared as I force as much energy I can into my sword. As I do that, the light coming from the blade intensifies and the energy around it solidified around the blade. "Haaa!" I swung my sword right at the incoming laser beam.

Energy blade meets laser beam. The ensuing explosion is so deafening and bright before everything goes dark.

* * *

><p>"Oi, wake up!"<p>

"Uh... seventy more minutes..."

"Marisa, can you 'spark' him again?"

"Sure thing"

"No wait! I'm up! I'm up!" I quickly jumped up.

I've been woken up by a bucket of water to the face, rolled over the bed, kicked out of the bed, a pillow smack to the face, and belly flopped in my bed. But all of those rude awakenings do not hold a candle to the threat of a laser beam to the face. Especially since this threat is more of a promise than a warning.

"Hm...?"I look around to gain my bearings.

Aside from me, there is Reimu and Marisa who's snacking on orange peel, and Suika who's lightly snoozing while lying on her side. As for where I am... I'm no longer in the courtyard. This is inside Reimu's shrine, so they must've carried me here while I was unconscious.

Having reassess my situation, I groaned as lower myself to the tatami floor. "Felt like I just got stepped by a sumo wrestler... Was the giant beam thing really necessary?"

"Of course! Danmaku is all about showing off what you can do. I'd say my 'Master Spark' fits into that category quite perfectly don't you think?"

I tried shooting back at that comment, but found myself lacking the ammo to do so. "... Sadly I can't disagree with that reasoning. Guess it's my loss then" I conceded defeat.

The witch proudly waves off her victory while putting another orange piece into her mouth. "But you didn't do too bad yourself you know. You almost got me in the end" She said between chews.

Now that's news. I for one did not remember doing anything remotely close to even hitting the witch. "I did?"

"Don't remember? Did you get knocked out right after you uses it?"

"Use what?"

Reimu shifted her gaze towards me. "You cut Marisa's master spark in half with your attack. An impressive feat, but it probably would work better if the split beam did not explode around you" She explained while peeling on an orange.

"Seriously? I did that?" Can't blame me for sounding incredulous here. Just this morning the notion of firing a giant laser beam was nowhere in my mind.

"That's my best guess considering Marisa was nearly blown off by another giant beam that tear through her own" Finished with her explanation, Reimu popped a freshly peeled orange into her mouth.

"Yeah... that really surprised me you know. One second I was watching my master spark streaming towards you, and then the next second this giant energy slasher was tearing right to me" Marisa recounted the experience from her point of view. "So, I'm guessing that was a copy of my master spark? How did you make it fire like that? Different medium perhaps?"

"Hell if I know" I shrugged. "Don't forget that I'm completely new at this"

"Ha-ha. Oh well. So? Wanna go another round to try figure it out?"

"... I'll pass... I already passed my limit of being blasted for the day"

"Suit yourself"

My sore body protested as I push myself off the floor. So this is what it felt like to take a hit from a laser beam... Wasn't as painful as I thought... but it still left some lingering pain all over my body.

Marisa swiped the last few orange slices and quickly pops them into her mouth. "Hey Shirou, can I see your spell cards again?"

"Yeah sure... why not"

I take out the two cards I store in my pocket and handed them to the black clothed witch. Marisa seemed quite pleased as she studied the spell cards. "So much possibility from just two spell cards. I'll probably need a new grimoire just to note down what these two can do"

Reimu stretched as she stands up from where she was sitting. "Probably... why do you even bother writing that thing anyway? I still say it's pretty useless" She picked up the empty tray and carries toward the back.

"Hey, I'd have you know, that book is one of the most priceless possession I have, next to my mini-hakkero" Marisa calls out after the shrine maiden's retreating back.

"Whatever..." Reimu uncaringly says before she disappears through the back door.

"Mini-hakkero?"

Yeah, my mini-hakkero"

I jumped a bit when she takes out that small device that just blasted me earlier and showed it to me. At least this time it's not pointing at me as it rested safely in the palm of her hand. It actually seemed harmless, if you're not counting on the fact that she uses this small harmless item to fire a giant energy beam at me...

I slowly reached out to the tiny device, but decided against it mid way. Touching dangerous unidentified object is just not my thing. "How does it work?"

"... I dunno... I get it from someone and I never understood his explanation..."

So she's firing giant energy beam using some unknown device? What an incredible lack of responsibility. I bet my matron would have a field day on her if the two ever met.

"Anyway, back to your spell cards. Can you please give this one a better name? I don't like putting some half baked spell card onto my grimoire" She handed my first spell card back to me.

I took it, stare at it for a few seconds, and then gave it back to her. "I suck at naming things. Can you do it for me?"

"I can't do that. This is your spell card so I can't tamper with it even just to name it" Marisa pushed the card back at me.

"Eh? But Reimu did it for my other card"

"She's an exception"

"Why is she an exception?"

At that point Reimu walked back into the room. "Because I'm the one that came up with the spell card system so I have the right to manage it. Not to mention that you got those spell cards from me" She answered my question.

"That make sense I guess... So can you rename this one?" I handed her my first spell card.

Reimu accepted the card from me. "I was going to do that anyway. If I let you wander around with such a poorly named spell card it would reflect badly on me since I'm your... ugh, benefactor" She spit out the last word with great amount of disdain.

"I thought Yukari was his benefactor?" When Marisa turns to looks at me questioningly, I can only give her the infamous 'I know nothing' shrug.

"She forced that role on to me on the day she brought him here. Beside, can you imagine her acting like one?" The shrine maiden said as she sits back down on her previous spot.

"True, she'll probably just pawn him off to someone else"

"She already did, to me" Reimu pointed out before she turns toward me. "Keep this in mind Shirou. Whatever you do, don't ever let Yukari have a hold on you. If you let her, that wicked woman will wring you dry and then dump you to the side until she next has need of you"

"Uh..." I opened my mouth to answer, but I found it hard to do so when suddenly a pair of hand grabbed onto my shoulder from behind.

"Why Reimu, what vulgar words are coming out of your mouth. It's really unbecoming of a shrine maiden" A familiar haughty tone comes from above my head.

Reimu showed a rare moment of weakness as she flinched at Yukari's admonition. It only last for a split second though before irritation washed over her face. "Yukari... I thought you left already"

"I did? I never remember saying that I left. I just went to pick up a few things before coming back here"

"Since when do you do manual labour? Don't you have the fox and cat to do those chores for you?" Reimu harshly rebuked her. Yet even with her sharp tone, she makes no action against this youkai.

"Some matters require a personal touch. And this is too interesting for me to not handle personally" She smiled as she turns me around to face her. Her smile lessened as she carefully inspected me.. "Now then Shirou, did you know that yesterday a certain cat told me that you're starting to stink? In a literal sense mind you. I thought that she was just exaggerating, but now I clearly see that she's not" She pushed me backward before her using her finger to trace the air in front of her. A gap appeared and a bundle of clothes drop out from it.

Looking at the clothes, I notice that they are mine, though I remember them being dirty, not clean and fresh. I never done laundry since I got here, so who washed them? "...And your point is?" Though I can already guess where she's going with this.

An evil smile appeared on the gap youkai."Mm... when was the last time you taken a bath?"

"..." I can feel the atmosphere chilled tin response to Yukari's question. "Some time ago...?" The atmosphere becomes even colder as I dodged answering the question.

"I see... I suppose some time ago is an acceptable answer. Though the question stands, how long is some time?"

"Uu..." The honest answer is a full 2 weeks. But I got the feelings that things would be bad if I try to be honest at this time. Though this situation will have a bad end no matter what I say now. The hints are a slowly distancing witch and a disgusted looking shrine maiden.

"Shiiiiirouuuu..." Reimu growled.

"In my defense, I was too busy to bother with baths" There's no bath in my house, though I saw a bathhouse in the village, I never bothered with it since I have to pay.

My attempt to placate the shrine maiden seems to have backfired as her mood worsened even further. "... There's a hot spring at the back of the shrine. If you're not there cleaning yourself in the next 5 minute, I'll have you thrown in there with Suika in tow to wash you up"

"Ooh... having an oni scrubbing your back... that would be torture..." Marisa commented. She then tapped her fist to her palm with a grin "Then again, he's a guy. I heard that skin ship with the opposite sex can make a guy very happy. So won't having Suika go with him will be counterproductive? It might even put her at unnecessary danger"

"Danger...?" I repeated the word out loud and it still seems surreal to me. "I'm going to hate myself for asking this, but just what kind of scenario is running through your head?"

To my surprise, the witch is taken aback by my question as her face reddens significantly. "Uh... you know... you pushing her down... and then... making her do things that married couple do..." The last past of the sentence is squeaked out of her mouth in one hasty breath. Glancing at Reimu, I notice her face is also flushed red; this one is not caused by anger.

I slowly shake my head, unsure on what kind of reaction I should give. "Haa... there's a few flaws in your logic. Firstly, Suika's an oni. They just don't get pushed down. Secondly, there's no way that will happen. She looks like a child for gods' sake" Seriously! If I get 'happy' from bathing with a child then I would've been arrested years ago. Helping the orphanage kids to take a bath was one of my basic responsibilities back home. Heck, Suzunasometimes refuses to bathe without me.

Yukari raised a hand. "I can vouch for him on this one"

"Yukari..." This is new. For once she's actually supporting me.

"He's been exposed to plenty of female skin since he was but a child, so I highly doubt Suika's body will affect him at all You'll have to be at least Yuyuko's level before he'll show any reaction"

"Shirou... you..."

"It's not what you think! Dammit Yukari!"

* * *

><p>It took me a while, but I manage to defuse the situation after a lengthy explanation and giving the girls permission to execute me if I did anything of that sort, though that doesn't stop them from giving me the silent treatment for a while. Reimu still force me to take a bath, but thankfully she rescinded her threat to have Suika wash me up.<p>

So a short bath later, I found myself back in the room, feeling fresher than ever in days.

"Welcome back Shirou" The first one to greet me is Suika, who apparently have woken up while I was in the bath and already started drinking again.

"Yo" I greeted her back. Looking around the room, I notice that Yukari have disappeared. "Hey uh, anyone know what happened to my old clothes? They seems to be missing"

"Don't know don't care" I kind of expected that sort of reply from Reimu, but to actually hear it... my image of a shrine maiden has really taken a beating ever since I met this one. I guess I'll look for them later. "Anyway, here's your spell card; I've taken the liberty to rename it while you were in the bath" Reimu placed my spell cards on to the table.

"Thanks. I appreciate it" Checking the name of the card, I have to admit, this one does sound pretty cool. "Where's the other one?"

"I got it, just give me a second" Marisa answered from the other side of the room. She have an inked brush on her hand as she scribbles something onto a paper.

"What are you doing?" I asked while peering over her. She seems to be drawing the image on my spell card onto the paper. There's another paper on her side which have the image on my other spell card.

"I'm sketching your spell card's insignia for reference when I'm putting them into my grimoire"

"Just ignore her. Come sit down over here, there are a few things you must know about your spell cards" Reimu seems oddly serious, so this must be pretty important then.

Following her order, I sit down across from her. Reimu waited until I settled down before she resumes speaking. Well, more like tried to speak, she keep opening and closing her mouth and yet no sound comes out of it. After a few seconds of speechless moments, the shrine maiden let out a heavy sigh. "Haah... I don't even know where to begin..." She admitted in frustration. "Let's see... a complete duplicate of someone else's energy regardless of their origin or source, and then the ability to take in someone else's spell card and use it as your own... why is it that everything about you keeps giving me a headache?" She grumbled out.

"I'm sorry?" I don't know what else to say beside that.

"... You better be careful with these cards. If they won't kill you they might provoke someone else onto killing you" She keeps grumbling.

"I don't mind if he uses that on me" Suika casually said.

"Well I mind, and most probably so does Remilia, Yuuka, and Shikieki to name a few!" Reimu shot back at the oni before she rounded back on me. "Be careful on who you used those at. I can't say anything if you were forced to use it on dangerous situation, but in normal circumstances, be prepared to take responsibility whenever you uses them"

I gravely nodded as the shrine maiden clearly stated her opinion. "A-all right. I'll be careful with them" Note to self, ask for permission before using my spell cards.

Reimu stare at me hard as if to discern the level of my seriousness. She put me under scrutiny for a full 10 seconds before her expression softened as she reverted back to her usual self. "Well anyway, now that you have your own spell cards, I guess I should go through the rule of danmaku with you. You're still unfamiliar with them right?"

"Yeah, all I know is not to get hit, and that one is a given"

"Heheh, that's a good start, but there's more to danmaku than just shooting down each other. The reason behind the creation of the concept danmaku is very basic, in that..." And after that I was given a full course lecture about danmaku by the shrine maiden. It lasted for a while with Suika and Marisa joining in andadding their input regarding the right way to do danmaku.

To summarise a pretty lengthy lecture, the concept of danmaku was first developed by Reimu. They were designed to give even the weakest youkai and humans a chance to win against stronger opponents. It also allow youkais to defeat the hakurei shrine maiden in a fair duel without worries of killing her, which according to Suika, will caused a very bad thing to happen to Gensokyo. In response to that, I asked them how strong Reimu is, and the replies I got are monstrous and invincible before Reimu shut them up.

The rules for danmaku are fairly simple; in Marisa's exact words, 'dodge your opponent's bullets or be crushed by them' and 'the most beautiful one wins'. The regulated rules for a danmaku are similar to a normal duel, with time limits, set winning and losing conditions. There are also some people who use additional equipment during danmaku, easy example would be Marisa's 'mini-hakkero'.

One last thing to note is that spell cards are apparently not limited to just magic or youki (youkai energy). From gadgets to sword strikes to basic melee strike, anything that count as an attacks is effectively a valid attacks if one manages to deliver a direct blow with them.

"...that is why whoever wins danmaku is always the right one. And that's pretty much it. Any questions?" Marisa asked me at the end of the lecture. Just a quick note, but at some point in the lecture, Reimu has shifted to the backseat as she let the witch and the oni do the explaining. To her credit, Marisa did a pretty good job teaching me about danmaku. But I guess that can be credited to her passion to danmaku, not her teaching skill.

"No, I'm good"

"All right then! Now to quote Keine, time for your homework!" Everyone in the room is taken aback by the witch's sudden announcement.

"Homework? You're kidding right?"

"Well yeah, but I still want you to do it though" She said as she handed me something. "Suika told me that Reimu gave you three spell cards. You've made two. So now make your third one!"

I stare blankly at the blank card in my hand. Wow, with all of the excitement, I completely forget about this one. "Okay. So what kind of spell card should I make?"

"A strong one! One that will become your final ace in the hole! A **Last Word**!"

"Last word? That sounded kinda ominous..." In my head I imagined a spell card that activates in the last second as I lie dying. If that's it, then I hope I never have to use it.

"There's nothing ominous about it"

"Uh-huh... so why is it a last word?"

Reimu decided to intervene before the witch gave out a misleading answer. "It's a title for the strongest spell card. An absolute spell card that reflects the strength of your conviction"

"My conviction?"

"... Don't worry about it. For now just imagine the strongest ability in your mind and put that in the spell card"

"And that'll let me make this... last word?" I asked her.

"No. But you don't need a last word anyway, regardless of what Marisa said"

"Aww... Reimu's being stingy"

The shrine maiden expertly ignored the whining complain of the witch. "Now go ahead and make your third card. And if it's not too much trouble, try to make something normal this time... your other cards are a headache by their own rights, there's no need for a third one"

"Right, something normal... I'll try..." I gingerly place the blank card on my forehead.

Something normal and fancy... I guess a giant laser beam like Marisa's would be a safe bet. The problem is how to make it with my copying ability?

First of all, a giant laser beam would require a high amount of energy, so first of all I needed a way to gather said energy. With my ability I guess I can copy someone's energy and use that to make the giant laser beam, but considering my non-existant understanding on energy manipulation, there's a big chance that it'll end up badly for me if I do it like that.

Maybe I need to think of this from a different angle. What did Yukari said about how my ability works again? My existence is influenced by residue of energy from the nearest source, which is usually a danmaku bullet. But my first spell card let me copy someone without any bullets being fired, so maybe her interpretation is a bit too strict...

... Ugh... this is confusing! Isn't there any giant energy source somewhere in Gensokyo that I can just borrow energy from?

*Crackle!*

"Yeowch!" I dropped the card in my hand as a surge of energy courses through it. Damn that actually hurt! It felt like I just got shocked by a good dozen volt of electivity! How the heck did that happen? There's not even a power outlet in a 20 mile radius! "The heck was that?"

"..."

"..."

"..."

The three girls in the vicinity are not paying attention to my plight as they focus are on the card that is still twitching on the floor. Well... it's not twitching exactly... but I don't know how else I'm supposed to explain a card that 'twitched' on the ground as it crackled with purplish energy.

It keeps twitching before with a loud crack, it landed softly on the floor.

"You're kidding me right..." Reimu picked the now seemingly harmless card of the floor. "Told him to make a normal card and he ended up making this... really, what should I do with you?" She sighed while placing the card on her forehead. The card let out a soft whitish light as Reimu inspected it like she did with my other cards.

"So Reimu, is it..." Marisa trailed off in the end, but Reimu seems to have gotten what she wanted.

"Yeah, it's a last word. No matter how I wish it wasn't..." Reimu muttered tiredly. "Now be quiet for a second and let me finish checking this card first "She grumbled as she continues inspecting the card. The three of us watched for a full minute as Reimu inspected the card. Aside from a few hummed noises while nodding to herself, the shrine maiden didn't say much. But then suddenly her curious slash bored slash annoyed gaze suddenly become hardened. "This is...!" She sounded shocked.

"What does it do?" Marisa asked.

Reimu didn't respond as she draws two paper talismans from her sleeves and slap them onto both side of the card. "Seal!"

*Crackle!*

The spell card responded with another burst of lightning which quickly died down as the paper talisman started to gives out a soft white glow. "Hah... This one is a no go" She said as she slipped the card into her sleeves.

"No go? Is it broken or something?" I asked her.

"No, it would work just fine. But I'm not letting you use this"

"Oh... okay... If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with it?"

"Hm... actually I do mind you asking"

"Uu..."

"Anyway. I'll let you keep the other two spell cards, but this one will remain with me"

"Okay..." I don't really understand what's going on, but I guess I should just follow what she said. She doesn't seem like the type to do without reason... which is probably why she doesn't do much at all...

As I pondered on what just happened, Marisa approached the quiet shrine maiden. "I wanna see... Can't you seal it after I take a look at it?" She whined.

"Nope"

"Can you tell me what it does?"

"I'm not saying anything"

"Reimu is being stingy"

"Maybe I should start charging you for every time you ask for snacks and tea"

"No! I'm sorry! Reimu is a very nice and generous person"

"That I am... Anyway, Suika, can I have some sake? "

"Sure thing"

* * *

><p>The moon is up in the sky as I trecked through the dark forest. "Man... what a day..." "I still can't believe that I have my own spell card now" I murmured. My hand instinctively patted my pocket which now contains my two new spell cards.<p>

"Shame about your third spell card though. What were you trying to make anyway?"

"Some kind of giant energy beams. I was still figuring out the how to when the card reacted"

"So it's an accidental spell card. Aww... And here I was hoping I could find out what it is..."

"Sorry to disappoint you"

Silence reign again as I continue walking.

Damn... It's already dark... and it's quite a walk from the shrine to the village... I'm not even walking on a path anymore; more like a grass trail. The stone tiles are barely noticeable anymore, hidden beneath the tall grasses growing over them.

Between the unclear path and the youkai threat, the road is a bit on the dangerous side...

"Take a right there"

"Thanks Mini-Suika"

My talking companion on this dark road patted down on my head from where she was sitting on. "No problem. Ack, watch out for that branch"

"You can fly can't you?"

"But riding on your head is more comfy"

"Fine, I'll be more careful"

The mini Suika seems really happy as she lie down on my head. It felt kinda weird having a tiny oni perched on my head, but its way better than being carried home 30 feet above the air again.

Way-way better.

Still, it's pretty dark and the moonlight is blocked by a thick cloud... won't be surprised if a youkai pop up right about now... Just as I finish my thought, the ground shook as a giant silhouette slowly approaches from in front of me. Dammit! Way to jinxed myself!

"We got company" The mini-Suika stands up on my head.

"Yeah, I noticed"

"You want help?"

"... Nah, I can handle this myself. Just enjoy the show"

"Okay, have fun"

"Oh I will..."

The mini Suika flied off as it hides herself on one of the nearby tree. She barely has hidden herself when a large lumbering youkai came into view.

"A lone human... aren't I the lucky one for finding such easy prey..."

"Oh, you can speak... cool... can we just skip the pleasantry and get straight to it? It's been a long day, I want to go home, eat dinner, and then go to bed"

"Grr... are you mocking me human"

"I'm not mocking you; I'm just stating the facts. So let's not delay, I'm not in the mood for this so I'll be nice and finish you off real quick"

"Insolent human!" The lumbering youkai bares it's fangs in angers as it swing its massive bulky arms at me.

*Smack*

I stop his attack with my left hand.

The youkai is stunned at how easily I stopped his attack. "H-how?"

"It's a long story... I doubt you'll be interested"

* * *

><p><em>-Flashback: 15 minutes ago-<em>

_"You sure you don't want me to fly you home?" Marisa asked as we prepare to head home._

_"Absolutely. I had enough of air travels... Besides, I got mini Suika right here so there are no problem of me getting lost"_

_"Hah... fine. I'm a bit worried though... it's particularly cloudy tonight so there's not much moonlight..." Reimu actually seems worried as she glances at the dark sky._

_"And you're gonna let me spend the night here?"_

_"No way. But I wasn't counting on you to stubbornly refuse Marisa's offer ..."_

_"Here's an idea. Why don't you use your spell card on Suika? Suika, do you mind?"_

_"No~~ Go ahead"_

_"Copying an oni? I don't know... it'll be weird if I start sprouting horns you know"_

_"Would you rather be eaten by youkai?"_

_"... Point taken. In that case... excuse me for this Suika..."_

_I take out my first spell card out of my pocket._

_"**Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion**"_

_-Flashback ends-_

* * *

><p>Thank god I didn't grow any horns. I don't think growing horns out of my head would feel pleasant at all...<p>

I tightened my grip on the youkais arm.

"Graaah!" The youkai let out a pained roar as I heard bones cracking.

Wow, I just snapped his arm? Just how strong is Suika? "Oops... my bad... um... lemme just end this now before I hurt you too much"

Gently now... just a quick tap on its jaw... I swing my first.

*SMASH!*

"Oops again" I just epicly failed at being gentle... that tiny tap to the chin just sent the big youkai flying at least five meters up in the air...

It landed heavily a good distance away from where it was standing originally. It didn't stand back up.

"... Wow..." I muttered in amazement at my handiwork.

"Nice job, you beat him up good"

"Yeah... probably a bit too good... You're really strong aren't you Suika?"

"I'm an oni, so of course!"

"True... Anyway, let's get going? I'm seriously getting hungry. Just drinking tea is not fulfilling at all"

"Okay. Hey, think I can get something to eat also?"

"Aren't you a clone? Do you even need to eat?"

"Don't be a meanie, come on~~"

"Fine, but just a quick bite, all right?"

"Yay~~"

* * *

><p><strong>Day 17-End<strong>

**What a chapter. Took days to research spell cards, more days to think up a way to create the spell cards, and .5 seconds to decide on his spell cards. What do you think of his spell cards? I have big plans for them, and they should serve as a massive source of amusement for story.**

**And yes, the confiscated spell card will return, but not any time soon.**

**Now if you have a spare minute (Which you do have as you are currently reading this) please review. The more I get the more motivation I got, and the more motivation, the faster the chapter came out.**

**Thank you!**

****Next chapter: The things you get from a newspaper... and the things you were GIVEN to by a newspaper!****


	7. Day 21: A House Where the Devil Resides

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Only two weeks gaps this time. Hence the power of reviews. I'm so thankful for the amount of reviews I receive for the previous chapter. It really motivated me to do better. **

**Anyway, I was gonna do a chapter with Aya and a certain article regarding the main character, but I decided against it as I think it's still too early for another Bunbumaru article. So after changing my plans slightly, I present to you, the next chapter!**

**Please enjoy. I think I did a particularly good job with this one.**

**Day 21- **A House Where the Devils Resides!****

* * *

><p>"Okay... carefully now..." Lifting the kettle from the fire, I slowly tilted it to the side with shaky hands. I hold my breath as I keep watch of the steaming liquid as it filled the cup underneath. When the cup is nearly full, I quickly tiled the kettle back to an upright position and place it on the stone surface of the stove.<p>

Peering into the cup, I saw a clear liquid lightly tinted brown staring back at me. Lifting the cup to my mouth, I blew on it a few times before I take a small sip.

"Ah..."

It's not bad... I wouldn't call it good, but at least it tasted like tea, albeit a bitter one...

Having nothing planned for today, I decide to finally make a good use of the kitchen in my house for the first time. In the days I've been here, not even once I've tried cooking by myself, always choosing to eat out all the time. By doing that, I've spent my whole money faster than expected, and so a few days ago I was forced to go back to Rinnosuke's store for another session of trash handling.

Not wanting a repeat of the past, I brought some groceries from the village store and decided to cook by myself. I did plenty of kitchen time back home, so it shouldn't be that hard... Or so I thought...

I severely underestimate the task of cooking in this place. Lacking the convenience of modern technology, it took a lot of preparations just to get the stove working. First I need to light some firewood under the stove. I manage this task easily thanks to a well planned purchase at Kourindou. With a flick of my wrist, I lighted a matchstick and that started a small fire going.

With that done, I decided to try making something simple first, just to test out the stove. Boiling water comes to mind, but because it's too easy, I tried making tea instead.

And thus, an hour after I started, I am now able to enjoy a barely passable tea.

Well, at least I learned how to make the stove hot, so now I got some ideas on how to cook, provided it's just grilling or boiling. So as long I keep it simple, I should be able to cook up something in the future.

I lightly shake the cup in my hand; half hoping doing this would make the taste better. I considered just dumping this away, but I was brought up under the belief that we shouldn't waste food. Then again, this is just tea... so it's not that big of a waste right?

Suddenly Reimu's angry face appeared in mind.

"... Haah... fine" I sighed in resignation as I raise the cup and quickly gulp it down.

And suddenly my front door swings open."Oi Shirou!"

"Pwah!" Surprised at the intrusion, I accidently spit out a mouthful of the tea. Turning around as I wipe my mouth, I saw a familiar black and white witch standing at my front door. "M-Marisa? What are you doing here? Can't you knock first?"

"Eh, don't worry about it. Anyway, I need a favour, so come with me"

"Huh?"

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you manage to make me ride this thing again!" I loudly complained as I squirmed around to find a good position on Marisa's broom.<p>

"A magician always has her way" She proudly stated.

I grunted in annoyance. Snatching me up without permission is just you having you way with me. And she did it so suddenly I didn't even get a chance to grab my sword before I got abducted. Thankfully I still got my spell cards in my pocket, so I'm not completely defenceless if shit happens.

"So where are you taking me?" I asked as I peered down.

We're currently flying over what the locals called the Misty Lake. It's very aptly named as the whole lake is covered in thick mist that can be seen even from the village. I've thought about taking a closer look at the lake, but I decided against it as it could be dangerous. Now that I've got a bird eye's view of the place, I discovered that... well, I got nothing actually, the damn mist is just too thick. I could barely see the lake's water and the area is so cold it felt like it's almost winter.

"You should be able to see it by now, see that big place up ahead?"

I shifted my gaze forward and I quickly spotted the place she's talking about. Hiding behind the mist, a large shadow of a building is looming over in the distance. "Wow that's big..." I muttered in awe. "Who lives there?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"I don't know... do I want to?"

"I'd say no"

"Oh..." I thought about pressing her for more details, but I decided not to. That way I won't be frozen in terror if I run into whoever lives there.

Ignorance is bliss, and I'd rather go in blindly than finding out that I'll be soon facing an entity of destruction that could wipe me out of existence in a blink of an eye. I shake my head to clear the bad thought away. I'm worrying too much; Marisa doesn't seem like the type of girl to intentionally put someone in a dangerous situation.

... I better stop thinking about this. It's really unhealthy for my nerves.

Anyway, just where the hell is she taking me?

The mist slowly dissipates as we left the lake behind. Now that there's nothing hindering my sight, I manage to get my first good look at our destination. It is a large mansion, very European style, fancy and posh, with a bright red rooftop decorated with a clock tower. There's also a garden in front of the mansion, with colourful flowers a plenty, giving it a warm and serene touch to contrast the mansion's cold splendour. All of this is blocked from the rest of the Gensokyo by a tall wall that surrounds the whole place.

"Ready your spell card" Marisa's order interrupted me from admiring the place.

"Huh? Why would I need it?" I asked though I already took out a card from my pocket, holding it firmly in my hand so it won't flies off.

"You'll need it in a bit" The magician girl gave me a cryptic answer. "Now hang on!"

"Wh-Hwaaah!" I am nearly thrown off the broomstick as Marisa makes a sudden turn in mid air. The cause is obviously the storm of bullets that are coming from below.

Marisa stabilized her broom a small distance away. "On time as expected..." She muttered before she glances towards me. "Okay, here's the plan. You see that girl below us?"

Carefully peering downward, I quickly spotted a mop of red hair that is quickly closing the distance between us two. "Yeah? And?"

"Distract her!" The magician has a large grin on her face as she said that.

"Huh?"

"OI CHINAAAA! CATCH!"

I wasn't prepared for when the broom make a sudden vertical flip, hence, I am unable to stop myself from being sent flying off it. "WAAHHH!" I screamed as I was sent hurtling toward the red haired girl.

In the face of the incoming human missile, namely me, the red haired girl is clearly taken a back as she stopped in mid-air. "Wha...?" She muttered, unable to understand the situation.

It seems she'd need a little push to act, one that I am too happy to provide. "HEEEELP!"

"!" It seems my plea for help only serves to confuse the girl even more as she glided to the side, away from my current trajectory.

"Aw, fricking hell!" I cursed out loud as the girl make no move to catch me at all. Well, I guess there's only one thing to do now. **"**Shattered Boundary Afakerealityinadelusion**—**Hwaa!" I rushed out the spell card name before I flew past the girl and manage to say the last syllable a split second before I pass her.

I think it's working since I can feel the familiar tingly sensation running through my body, but then again, I might've mistaken it to cold fear running through my spine since now I'm free falling straight towards the hard ground. Regardless of whether it works or not, I slipped the spell card back into my pocket. Don't want it to get blown away; Reimu would kill me if I lost it, provided that I manage to survive this ordeal first.

Speaking of current ordeal, the ground is fast closing on me and I'm still haven't manage to escape from the clutches of gravity. In the case that my spell card doesn't work, I will be die, and in the case that it works, it's gonna hurt a lot and I might still die! Neither option is looking promising.

"Seriously! HEEELP!" I yelled out in desperation one more time, hoping that red haired girl would help me before I went splat on the ground.

The ground is less than a meter away from me when something rammed me from the side and caught me. I don't know whether she realized this is not a joke or the fact that I'm just a few seconds away from going splat, a combination of both, or maybe even divine intervention, but the red haired girl has finally decided to save me.

The law of physics still applies though; calculating my falling momentum, her movement trajectory when she chases after my falling body, and the remaining distance from the ground, my saviour did not have the time to right herself and we both crashed down quite violently on the grassed dirt.

I closed my eyes as pain racked my body while everything started spinning violently as we tumbled and rolled in the hard dirt before finally coming to a stop with me laying on my back. "Ow..." I groaned. That's a bit on the painful side, but I'm alive. With nothing broken and a few bruises, I think I can be generous and give that landing 3 out of 10.

"Ow..."

Hm? That wasn't me. It came from above me

I open my eyes.

"Uwah, that was really close..." The red haired girl was right above me as she's pushing herself off the ground... or maybe off me considering our current position. At this short range, she seemed extremely human, though her ability to fly earlier shows that she's nothing but normal. "Are you okay?" She asked. Our proximity didn't faze her as she makes no move to get away from me.

I am feeling a bit self conscious with her face hovering near mine, but I can't do much since she's the one on top. "Y-yeah..." I answered while trying not to stare at her too much.

"Good, in that case..."

She grabs hold on both my shoulders before she deftly flipped backward with me still in her grip.

"Whoa!" I'm not sure how, but she just threw me while both me and her are still on the ground. My body sailed for a few seconds in the air before I painfully landed a small distance away from where I was launched.

"Gh! What was that for?" I spit out a few grass strand that manages to enter my mouth.

The girl is already standing, hands and feet spreads out in what I can easily identify as some sort of a martial arts stance. "Who are you? What is your intention for coming here?" She's nowhere close to me when she asked the question, but damn, I can feel danger rolling off her in waves. Not the 'I'm going to eat you' danger, more like 'I'm going to beat you up' danger.

"I... honestly has no intention at all"

Her eyes narrowed in distrust. "I find that hard to believe. Not only that black-white magician is involved, you also feel... off somehow..."

Ugh... Marisa must've had a pretty bad rep in this place if this girl completely distrusts me just because she saw me with her. And that feeling off part, it must be because I copied her in my panic. This is a bit complicated. Now how to explain this... "Right, uh...Miss China, if you can just let me..."

An aura of dread suddenly assaulted me as the girl takes a step toward me. "What did you just say...?" She said between gritted teeth.

Ack, she's pissed off! I think I stepped on a land mine somewhere. Got to tread carefully here..."I was... going to ask if I can just walk away"

"WHY... did you call me china?"

"Well... um..."So that's what's bothering her? It seems stupid in my opinion, but I still better treat this carefully. Now how should I answer her? Cause Marisa called you China? And the fact that you're wearing a Chinese dress? And I think that fighting stance you're currently in looks like something I once saw in an old Chinese flick.

All of the above pretty much. "... For a few reason... I thought your name was China? Yeep!" I quickly ducked and rolled when a glowing energy surge out of the girl's first.

It exploded rather loudly behind me.

"My name..."

Another giant bullet flew past me courtesy of this girl... who I think I just pissed off completely.

"... is not..."

Another punch, another bullet, and another explosion.

"CHINA!"

An even bigger bullet from her fist comes barrelling towards me. I manage to dodge it, but the force of the explosion makes me stumble in my steps.

Then I saw the girl brought both her hands to her side, and holds them there as she glares hatefully towards me.

"I'm really sorry. Can you please stop shooting at me?"

She replied by throwing both hands forward, unleashing a huge torrent of energy towards me.

* * *

><p>The girl in purple looks up from her reading as a series of explosions coming from the outside. A normal person would panic or wonder about a possible danger, but this girl just let out a tired sigh before she returns to her books.<p>

It's probably just that overzealous magician again. So that means she'll be soon having an uninvited company. Not in the mood to deal with said magician, the girl began weaving her hands in front of her, intending to reactivate the magical sigils that serve as her library's security measure.

Unfortunately for her, said intruder is already inside her library. "Hellooo! Patchy! You there? Not that I was expecting you not to be here!" Her loud voice echoed across the library.

Her hands halted in their gesture. Now that she's already inside, it's useless to activate the sigils now. The girl in purple does wonder on how the intruder manages to bypass the mansion's security so quickly, but she didn't let it shown as she greeted her regular intruder.

"... What do you want...?" She asked, not even bother turning her chair around to look at the intruder.

"Just need to borrow a few things. You got anything good?"

"... Are you ever going to return the ones you 'borrowed' already?" She asked though she already knows the answer.

"Sure, you can have them back as soon as I'm dead" The same excuse. How many times has she heard that?

She swivelled her chair around in annoyance. Really, the gall of this one. Just what will it take for her to stop annoying her? Times and times have she driven her away, and yet she always came back, like a pesky bug asking to be squished. Unfortunately, this particular bug has a rather painful bite, and she is not keen to be bitten by it.

"What's with the look?"

"... You need something better than that before I'll let you..."

Another loud explosion, this one manages to shake the room a tiny bit. Unfortunately for the girl in purple, that tiny bit is enough to send the stacked book next to her crashing down on top of her.

"Whoa, Patchy, you okay there?"

"... Mukyu..."

"Hold on, I'll dig you out. Oh, hey! This is a good one. I'm borrowing this okay?"

"You..."

Before she can finish her sentences, another explosion comes from the front of the mansion.

Her usually calm mind picked up speed a tiny fraction faster as she processes the contradiction in front of her. The intruder has already infiltrated the mansion, and yet there are sounds of combat are still coming from the gate? This is a weird phenomenon; the gatekeeper usually would intercept an intruder long before they approach the gate, and whether she's victorious or otherwise, the noises of combat rarely ever reaches the mansion.

Even stranger is that their usual intruder is already here in the library with her. Aside from this one, there are not many who would travel to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. And in that short list, all of them minus one are on the guest list.

So who is this intruder that the gatekeeper is engaging?

"What is going on out there?"

"Eh, no worries, I'm sure he can handle himself"

"He?"

* * *

><p>What did I get myself into this time?<p>

"Look lady, I'm really sorry for calling you China, can we please let this go already?"

"Stop saying China!"

Uh-oh, hit the deck!

*Kaboom*

Seriously! Her punches pack some serious power. And I meant that literally and figuratively. For every punch thrown, a giant bullet is launched straight from her fist.

I thought about fighting back. I did copy her earlier before I 'landed'. But then again, I don't want to escalate this further... I did that against Reimu, and I ended up being blasted by her spell card. Not a fun memory.

So for once, let's see if I can settle this by talking it out. "I'm really sorry?"

"Let me just hit you once and I'll call it even"

*Kaboom*

I dodged once again.

Judging by the way she throws those bullets and the craters left behind when the bullets hits the ground, it would hurt a lot if I got hit by that.

I'm not even sure the way she fights counts as a danmaku, so getting hit is a big no-no

"... not gonna happen"

"Oh... but it will"

Her right fist flashed for a second before she punched the ground, hard.

*Boom*

With her punch, the ground shakes and a cloud of dirt filled my vision.

I instinctively shielded my eyes from the dust cloud, and when I lowered my hand, the girl has disappeared from my sight. I quickly scanned the area around me, but I see no traces of red hair at all. This is seriously not...

And then I feel it, a strong feeling from the back of my head saying that something is rapidly closing in from my right. I turned to face the attacker, but nothing's there once again. And yet, without seeing, I can 'feel' that she has already move once again, this time circling around to the left as she evades my line of sight.

Confused at the mixed signal I'm getting, I accidently tripped backward, and the moment I do, I can feel a bullet is coming my way from behind.

Acting in line with my instinct, I used my right arm to quickly propel myself away as I fall. With my enhanced strength, I pushed myself a metre away, just in time to miss the incoming bullet.

And then I quickly ducked low to avoid a high kick that was aimed at my head.

Said kick manage to graze my hair, but failed to hit any solid body parts. The red haired girl, now back in my vision, landed in a low crouch as she recovers from her failed attack.

"..."

"..."

We both didn't say anything as we stare at each other. And while she was in sight, I use the opportunity to quickly think about what just happened.

What was that just now? I've listened to my guts before, but that was on a completely different level. I can feel her as she moves, as she breathes, as she spins around in for a hard kick... Wait! That last one is happening right now—Gwah!

Using my lack of attention to the fight, the girl manages to land a direct hit on me.

A spinning kick aimed directly at my face. I manage to block it before it connects with its intended target, but the force behind the attack is still going strong as it rattle the bone in my arm, and sends me hurtling away.

This is not as bad as it sounded though. My arms are only slightly numbed and I'm still retaining full awareness on my surrounding, so I can easily recover from this attack the moment I hit the ground. But unfortunately for me, my newfound ability is telling me that my head is on a collision course with solid brick wall!

I could probably survive from this none the worse since I'm currently copying a rather powerful girl, but I would rather avoid this head on collision situation if I can help it. With that said, I can only think of one solution to this problem...

Closing my eyes, I focus completely on this new sense of mine. I can feel the distance between me and the wall rapidly closing. I can feel the thickness of the wall along with its height. I can also feel a vast store of power from the girl I was fighting with, the same power that I currently also have! Untapped and raring to be unleashed!

I can feel... no, I can SEE it! The way that power moves as my body reacted. The way it flows into my hand as I reared my right arm backward. The way it surged outward the moment I punched the wall with my fist. And the way that energy slammed into the solid wall, exploding outward and turning a section of the wall into rubble.

And just like that, I burst through the wall in a shower of debris and stone.

... Might look damn awesome in a movie, but I'm not using a stunt man here... and going through a rain of dirt and stone is no fun and game. Dozens of debris pelted my body, and all I can do is endure it and try to keep any from hitting my eyes.

It only lasted a few arduous seconds before I landed quite roughly on the soft grass.

Ouch... that was kind of painful... let's never do that ever again.

"Hey! You're not supposed to go in there!"

My eyes are still closed but I can sense her as she followed me through that hole I made. I can also sense one loose brick which is falling on to her, before she smashes it to dust without even looking.

Huh, so this 'sixth sense' thing I've got is something I copied off her? How cool is this.

"You're not giving me much choice in the matter you know..." She's already set for another attack, so I quickly get back up on my feet.

Hm? She loosened her stance. Did she finally calms down?

"You're bleeding"

Am I? I tried tracing my head bit by bit, and I have to suppress a wince when I touched a rather sore spot on my forehead. Looking at the finger that touched that spot, I saw traces of blood on it. "Ah... yeah... probably when I go through the wall just now"

"You're bleeding from just that? What kind of youkai are you?"

"I'm not a youkai, I'm a human"

The girl's eyes widened as she completely drop her guard. "A human? But you don't feel like one"

"It's complicated, but I know for a fact that I'm human"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Really"

"Hm..."

Can't say I blame her for not believing me. I have been pushing myself to beyond human norm while I was fighting her, and the fact that I just punched through a solid brick wall... Yeah, sometimes even I can't believe I'm still human.

Still, I get my ass kicked in danmaku all the time... I think that's a pretty good reminder of my humanity.

"So... Uh... since we're not fighting anymore... can I go now?"

"Wait. Stay there. Just let me think for a second"

"Okay... take as long as you need..."

To my amazement, the girl actually starts thinking. Eyes closed, arms crossed and a hand holding her chin up, the standard thinking postures.

Anyway, while she was deep in thought, I take the temporary lull in the fighting to take a look around the garden. It's quite a nice garden. Whoever took care of has done a nice job; the plants are vibrant and lively, even the grass is nicely trimmed.

... My matron also has been growing a garden for the past years. Me and the other kids used to help her water the flowers and doing the weeding all the time. Wonder how's that garden's doing? Just before I left I remember that...

"Oh! I know!" The girl's sudden exclamation broke me out of my past recollection.

"That was a bit too fast... Did you really think it through?"

"I'll just settle this in a danmaku. Yeah, it's so simple. **Colourful Sign: Extreme Colour Typhoon**"

She tossed the card up in the air where it got covered by a... very colourful fog... Beneath the fog I can barely see the card still spinning in mid air.

That's an interesting way to use a spell card... but back to the problem at hand.

"You call that problem solving?"

"Why not? I can beat you up and you won't die" She sounded very pleased with herself. And I must grudgingly admit that her solution, while simple, is actually very efficient.

"All right then, here we go!" At her words, the spinning card she throws up earlier started shooting colourful bullets upward... which then fall backward and started raining down on the ground. From where I was standing, it looks like there's a rainbow falling down from the sky.

I quickly snapped out of my reverie when a particular bullet strayed rather close to my location. I shamefully let out an indignant yelp before I turn around and quickly run from the area, which soon after is bather in colourful bullets.

My newfound senses is quick to point out that the bullet bombardment only occurs in one area, so with that, I manage to pinpoint a safe area and escape there. Unfortunately for me, in my rush to escape, I failed to notice the presence of my opponent, whom already waiting for me with a full round house kick. It's only by luck that I spotted her in the last second and throw myself into a slide to dodge her attack.

"Guh" I grunted as I quickly get back up to face her. That was dangerous. If I get hit by her kick just now, she would've sent me back into the bullet bombardment. So even with her spell card she will still actively attack me directly... This would be tricky, but I can handle this as long I stay clear from the bombardment area.

But then things suddenly went harder, as the girl's spell card started swaying around, sending bullets all over the place like a spinning garden sprinkler. It's only thanks to my borrowed senses that I managed to detect and evade the ones coming from my back.

My opponent also falls under fire, but she just weaved between the bullets with barely any efforts.

Hm...Got to even the odds...

Before the spinning bullet curtain makes another pass at us, I let my fingers brushed the second card on my other pocket. **"Shattered boundary: The ever changing illusion of reality..."**I muttered quietly.

Another weird tingly feeling. This time they are focused more on my arm and legs. Looking at my hands, they're emitting a soft glow, similar to the glow on her hands back when she's trying to blast me with those bullet punches.

... This is gonna be fun.

"Did you say something just now?"

"It's nothing important. Now let's do this!" I punched forward with my right first, and a bullet the size of a bowling ball burst straight at my opponent.

* * *

><p>"Patchouly-sama. Here's your tea" The girl in purple watched as the maid placed the usual steaming cup of tea on her desk.<p>

"...Thank you" She said before lightly blowing on the tea and then slowly drink it down. The tea is brewed exquisitely as usual, something she has come to appreciate and looked forward to enjoy in the solitary of her library.

But unfortunately, her private sanctum is currently being disturbed by the presence of a trespasser.

"Where's mine?" The black and white magician brazenly asked the maid.

The maid calmly regarded the magician before she lowered her head in apology. "... I'm sorry, but I was not aware that we have a guest in the mansion" She said to the magician.

"Aren't I?" The magician asked, neither unaware nor caring about the fact that her status as a guest is a subject for debate. The maid's eyes drifted to the girl in purple, asking whether she should serve this 'guest', and the girl in purple replied with a shake of her head, a negative response.

And then before any more words can be spoken, the library is once again shaken by a rather loud explosion, this one is closer than the previous bout. "Oh, they're going at it again" The magician said with barely restrained curiosity and a hint of excitement. "I'm actually surprised that they're still going at it"

"Sakuya, can you please?"

Having served in the mansion for no small amount of time, the maid is quick to notice and respond to what the mansion's denizen needed. Thus, even with such a vague order from the girl in purple, the maid already understood what she has to do. "Certainly" She said as she takes out her prized pocket watch.

But before she can do anything else, she was interrupted by the magician. "Wait, let's watch them a bit" The magician excitedly suggested.

The girl in purple did not act nor say anything in respond to the magician's suggestion. But the maid notices that her delicate eyebrow raised ever the slightest, which means that she's considering it. Knowing the magician's persistence, the maid quickly surmises that the girl in purple will soon enough crumble and do as the magician wanted. With that, she quietly slipped away to prepare the second floor balcony for when they decided to leave the library. It has a clear view of the garden and should serve as a good spot for keeping an eye on whatever is causing the disturbance outside.

... Not to mention that having some fresh air once in a while would be good for the girl in purple, something that her mistress would agree.

* * *

><p>For a danmaku, this felt more like a back alley brawl if I set aside the fact that my opponent is a master of the Chinese martial arts (<em>presumably of course<em>) who can use energy attacks. The way we traded blow back and forth, though at the moment it's mostly me ducking out of her attacks is quite the reminiscence of my days as a club's bouncer. Back then, with my smaller stature compared to my opponents, I would resort to many dirty fighting tactics, from using improvised weapons to dirty blows. But unfortunately for me at the moment, there is no way I can bring myself to use those cheap attacks against a girl.

Said girl on the other hand, has no need to stop herself from lashing out at me with whatever she got. Even after I used my second spell card, she's still holding a distinct advantage over the match. Even though I have the same strengths as her, this girl have a lot more experience as a fighter. She has yet landed a solid blow on me, but all it takes is one slip up, and I'll be in a world of pain.

Fortunately for me, ever since I used my second spell card on her, the sixth sense thing I copied off her seems to have been super charged. With it, I'm always aware of her actions AND the bullets rain coming from her spell card. Every time a bullet swarm approaches, I can sense them and quickly move out of the way or even weave my way between them. This new senses confuses me once in a while, but so far I've managed just fine with it.

Another effect of my second spell card is the bullet punch ability. Every time I let out a punch, I can let loose a burst of energy through my fist, sending out a bullet that could travel for a few metres before dissipating. It's a similar ability as hers, though I notice that her bullets travel slightly faster than mine.

The two of us has traded bullets for quite some time now, and so far neither of us has hit the other yet. Guess that's what happens when both combatant have the ability to sense the each other, I can't catch her off guard and neither can she catch me slacking. Of course that does not stop me from trying.

"Hey! Watch the flowers" The girl scolded me after one of my bullets nearly hit a flower patch.

"My bad" I answered before hastily jumped backward to avoid a painful looking heel drop. Said attack crushed the stone tile where I was standing previously with relative ease.

Landing in a small crouch, I started twisting and turning to evade the rain of bullets as the spell card started bombarding the area. The shower lasted for a good 5 seconds before it began to move to another area again.

No sooner I cleared off the bullet rain; I quickly raised my arm to block a straight punch aiming at my face. The moment I do so, my sense screamed out that the blocked fist is gathering a large amount of energy. So acting in accordance to the warning, I quickly pushed said fist to the side while spinning my body away, just in time to avoid a bullet that was aimed at my face from point blank range.

Quickly moving to the counter attack, I use the momentum from the dodge to punch out with my right.

The girl easily caught attacking hand by the wrist, but then her eyes widened before she quickly moves my fist aside, just a split second faster before I let out my own bullet from my fist.

Dammit, so that doesn't work either. "...Damn you're good" I muttered in no small amount of amazement.

Responding to my praise, the girl smiled an honest smile with no hints of deception. "And you're not doing too bad yourself, especially if you really are a human"

I nodded before I try pulling my hand free from the girl, who still got a solid grip on my right wrist. "So... can you let go of my hand now? Your bullet rains are coming closer..." I tried asking nicely, though I can already guess her reply.

"Nope" The girl says no as expected. "What's stoping me from using you as an umbrella?"

"That's... hey look! A panda!"

To my great amazement, the girl actually looked away. "Where?"

Distraction worked! Now to capitalize! Normally I'd head butt my opponent in this kind of situation... but I can't head butt a girl! That's just wrong... so I'll improvise. "Sorry about this..." I quickly grab her left arm, pull hard on it, steady my legs, and then ram her with my shoulder.

"!" She most certainly did not expect that, so my attack hits her head on. And now that she's stunned, I yanked my hands free of her, and I quickly moved away from the incoming bullet rain. The girl on the other hand is caught unprepared by her own spell card. She's quick to recover as she starts evading the bullets, but one lucky bullet manages to graze her shoulder.

When the bullet rain finally moves on again, the girl is carefully rubbing her left shoulder, the one that was clipped by the bullet just now. "You... Did you really expect me to fall for my own attacks? And you lied about the panda! That's just evil"

She's angry again, and this time, I know I was at the wrong. "Wasn't really expecting the panda thing to work, I'm sorry?"

"..." And just like that, the number of bullets falling from the sky just multiplied by at least five. It's no longer a light sprinkle; it's now more into a full blown storm.

At least it still releases the bullets in a garden sprinkler like manner, so there are still a few dry zones here and there. But still...

"For calling me names... and lying about the panda...stand still and accept your punishment"

"Oh boy..."

* * *

><p>After multiple persuasion attempts by the black and white magician, the girl in purple finally relented and decided to leave her library to take a look at the cause of the commotion. The moment she exited her library, she found the maid already waiting for her, who then proceeds to escort them to a balcony on the second floor.<p>

No sooner that they stepped into the balcony, she quickly spots a fresh cup of tea on the table there, along with a cushioned chair, which she promptly sat on.

Now that she has made herself comfortable in this nicely shaded balcony, she turned her attention to the ensuing danmaku at the garden. After observing the ensuing match for a few seconds, she turns to the magician and asked one simple question. "...Who is that idiot?"

The magician turns her gaze from the match toward her. "The latest newcomer to Gensokyo. Yukari brought him here a while ago" She quickly answered before turning back to her match. She seems excited about something as she observe the match with great interest, but the things that excited her seems to have eluded the girl in purple.

"He seems to have suffered some injuries already. Should we not stop them?" The maid pointed out.

"Why? He doesn't seem to be giving up just yet" The magician casually answered. And as if to agree with her, the boy chooses that moment to once again move forward toward the gatekeeper. Amidst the flurry that ensues, the boy and the gatekeeper traded in a few blows before he was send hurtling backward by a rather strong punch from the gatekeeper. Even then the boy is quick to spring back to his feet. "See, he's still raring to go. There's really no need to stop them"

"Oh? For once I must agree with you" A voice called out from behind them.

The magician, the maid, and the girl in purple quickly turned toward the balcony door in surprise. There, leaning on the doorway, is the mistress of the mansion herself.

"Milady!" The maid failed to hide her surprise. She quickly pulled out another chair for her mistress to sit on, which the mistress did whilst letting out a rather wide yawn.

"Remy, so you're awake" The girl in purple calmly regarded the mistress of the mansion.

Said mistress has a palm on her chin as she gave an annoyed look toward the girl. "Did you really expect me to sleep with all this commotion?" She grumbled before she turns toward the source of the commotion. "So, who is he?" She didn't specify to whom the question was asked, but that was a rather moot point since there's only one person in the balcony with answers to said question.

"I just answered that question don't I?" The magician retorted.

"You expect me to believe that's all you know about him?"

Unwilling to disclose the information, the magician is quick to shift the responsibly to others. "Try asking Reimu, she knows more than me" She drops her friend's name, fully aware on the fact that the mistress holds a small amount of interest for the shrine maiden.

And just as she expected, the mistress relented. "Hm... perhaps I shall..."

"Milady, your tea" Turning to her side, the mistress notices her maid offering her a warm cup of tea.

Taking the offered tea by the saucer, the mistress gently blew on it before taking a few sips. She sighed in contend as the tea warmed her body. The slight taste of copper in the tea is just right, as expected of her maid. "Thank you Sakuya" She thanked her for the job well done. While setting down the half empty tea cup on the table, she also notices that a plate of freshly baked cookies has been set on the table. Not one to refuse a treat, she casually grabbed one and gently chewed on it.

She was reaching for a second cookie when the magician asked her a question. "By the way, since you're awake, is she..." The magician sounded nervous, but she can't exactly blame her, for the subject in question is 'her'.

"Like I said, do you really expect anyone to sleep with this commotion? Worry not, I told her to stay in her room"

Her words seems to have dissuaded the magician as she lets out a relieved sigh before turning back to watch the match in the garden.

Following the magician's example, the mistress once again watches over this new subject of interest. The boy has spirit, that much she admits. Most people would admit defeat at the hands of someone that is clearly beyond their level, yet this boy keep persisting even though there's already a clear difference of ability between him and her gatekeeper.

Maybe she should have a closer look at this boy.

"Sakuya, can you get my parasol?"

"Certainly Milady"

* * *

><p>Dammit!<p>

That panda joke is biting me back in the worst way possible. It completely provoked the girl in a bad way and now she's attacking me rather relentlessly.

The copied 'sixth sense' thing been working non-stop for a while now; it really helps a lot, though I'm worried that I might be getting a migraine after this is over. Incoming spin kick, jump back to avoid a spin kick, her hands are gathering energy, incoming energy blast, probably aimed at where I'm landing, jump left not right else I'll get pelted by bullets.

Close the distance, wait for her attack, parry it, and go for a point blank bullet punch, and just-Whoa!

The girl grabbed my arm and executed a perfect shoulder throw, and instead of slamming me into the hard tile, she throws me away, right into the bullet storm.

Instantly I felt like a dozen punches just rained down onto me. Enduring the pain as best I can, I manage to do backward flip put of the bullet storm. But the damage has been done, and I fall down to my knees, unable to stands up amidst the pain.

"Are you okay?" The girl asked.

"I felt like I just get trampled by a horde of angry pandas... Ahaha..." I answered through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away" The girl nervously laughs. Now that her spell card has done its job, she recalled it back and put it away. Instantly the bullet storm ceded and the sky is now bullet free.

"Wait a second... I'm not done yet...' I grunted as I push myself up. The pain still lingers, but I can stand back up now, albeit a bit shakily.

"You still want to go?" The girl sounded surprised.

"Don't count me out that fast" I once again settle into my old brawling stance.

The girl seems unsure on how to proceeds, but she slowly slips back to her fighting stance. "Your eyes still burns with fighting spirit. Very well then. Until you had enough, I'll be your opponent"

Hearing the girl's word, I can't help but let out a few chuckles. "Heheh, how can you say that kind of line with a straight face?" It really sounded like it came from an old Chinese martial art flicks.

"S-shut up! Now are we doing this or not?"

"Yeah sure, though I would appreciate it if you stop holding back a bit"

"You want me to go all out?"

"Uh, not all out, just maybe show off a bit more? I feel like the more you show me the more I can improve myself"

The girl is tensed for a second before her eyes narrowed down on me. "Oh? I thought your style is familiar. All this time you've been copying me?"

More than you've known... "You could say that"

"And now you want me to show off more of my abilities so you can copy them too?"

"When you put it that way that does sounded kinda bad..."

"Okay, sure"

"Huh? You really don't mind?"

"Yeah. What I do is not exactly easy to imitate, so if you can actually manage to do it, then by all means, go for it"

Wow, this girl is very nice when she's not actively aiming to hurt me. I think I could grow to like her. "Okay then. After you" I tensed up in preparations for the resuming match.

The girl too has entered her fighting stance once more. "Watch and learn" And with that, she performs a perfect high kick, and right after that, my vision is filled with flashing rainbows.

Wait, rainbows doesn't spin like that...

The thought barely left my mind when the rainbow make contact with my chin and send me sprawling backward. "Gah!" I felt like I just got kicked in the face. That spinning rainbow thing is painful!

"Head's up!"

Everything is a bit blurry considering I just get hit in the face, but I know for a fact that the swirling colour in my vision is not because of that hit in the head.

Giving a wide berth to the spinning rainbow, I watched in no small amazement as it left a deep wide gash when it hit the hard tile.

The pot of gold underneath the rainbow is a lie... there's only pain...

"What do you think?"

"... That hurts" I complained as I analyse that attack. Thanks to the copied senses, I can see her flow of energy when she performs the attack, so I notices how the energy on her legs flared just before she released the attack. I'm guessing that she focused her energy on her feet before releasing it in one burst with a snap kick.

Simple and effective, now let's give it a try...

I pushed a surge of energy onto my right leg, and when my senses tells me that its 'glowy' enough, I kick out as hard as I can. Almost instantly, I lost all energy from my legs and I fall backward.

Though I mess up the execution, but I did manage to unleash a bluish energy whiplash from my leg. It's not a rainbow colour, it's not swirling, and it didn't very fast, but it's good enough in my opinion.

"Hah, you actually did it" The girl shows no anger at how I just copied her skill. In fact she seemed amused as she jumped up to evade it. "But you're not going to beat me with just that!" At the peak of her jump, she suddenly accelerates downward towards me. Her feet would've collided with my face had I not rolled aside.

Landing in a crouch from her attack, she suddenly blurred forward again, going from a full stop to full motion in the blink of an eye. Her first, glowing like a rainbow nearly hit me in the face had I not closed my eyes and relied on the copied 6th sense to see pass it's blinding colour and parry it aside.

The girl didn't end just there though. Now that we're in a close range, she began attacking in earnest with a series of body blows and kicks. Once again, thanks to the copied senses, I manage to evades and parry all her attacks, though it is clear that she's pushing me back step by step.

Trying to break free from the pressure, I attempted to attack her with a close range bullet. But as if she's reading my attack, she easily evades my attacking arm before leaning on it and using it as a pivot to turn spin around me and then going for a hand chop toward the back of my neck.

Sensing what she's doing, I quickly bend forward to dodge that knock out attack. Not stopping there, I go even lower and sweep my leg around, trying to knock her off balance.

The girl jumped backward to avoid it. Flipping a few times in the air, she suddenly lets out two spinning rainbows aimed downwards towards me.

Having seen the attacks previously, it no longer caught me off guard and I easily jumped away from the impact zone. Unfortunately, this is exactly what the girl wanted me to do. The moment I left the ground, the girl throw out both her hands forward, shooting out a massive energy bullet. The bullet is not aimed directly at me; instead it's heading toward the area when I'm going to land.

Helpless in the air, I'm very grateful that the giant bullet won't directly hit me as it missed me by a few inches. Unfortunately for me, I was caught in the force of the explosion that follows, sending me staggering forward, where the girl is already waiting for me.

Not giving me any time to react, the girl quickly moves to exploit my moment of weakness. With her feet once again covered in rainbow coloured energy, she shot forward and kicks at me.

Her attack hits me, though I still manage to block the kick with my arm. It hurts, but it's better than getting kicked in the chest. But the girl still going; kicking away from my arm, the girl spins around in the spot and lash out with another attack, this time a high kick from a low angle.

This one nearly hits me square in the jaw, but I just barely put my hands under my jaw to soften the impact. But even blocked, the kick still carries a lot of centrifugal forces, strong enough to knock me off my feet, sending me a few metres upward.

My vision is filled with spots after taking such a powerful blow. But even then the copied senses are still working unhindered, hence why I am not taken by surprise when the girl suddenly appeared right above me with her leg glowing in rainbow colour dropping down on me for a heel drop kick.

"Hrk!" Grunting in pain, I forcefully bend my body backward and raised my right leg at the dropping heel. Though I have no balance whatsoever considering that I'm falling in mid air, I still somehow manage to block her heel drop with the bottom of my foot. I probably would've crushed all the bones in my leg if I tried this when my back is against the ground, but since there's only air below me, I manage to get away unscathed.

The girl looks surprised with my persistence. That's good... because I'm not done yet!

Using the force from blocking her heel drop, I let my body shifted backward even more. And as I do that, I quickly lowered my right leg and lashed out with my left! In soccer this is called a bicycle kick. For this situation, this is called a desperate last attack. With everything I got left! Full power energy kick slasher! ... Or whatever the name is...

* * *

><p>The gatekeeper is honestly surprised at how this self proclaimed human manage to persist for this long. Granted that she's holding back quite a lot, there are multiple occasions where she could've ended it, but she didn't do it in favour of assessing the skill level of this unknown boy. Of course if her mistress were here, she would just describe what she's doing as toying with her prey.<p>

But she can't help it as her curiosity took hold of her. For the first time in years, she has found a fighter who can utilize chi based techniques like her. She did notices some strange oddities in the boy, as there were times that he seemed confused on what he's doing, but that's probably because of the difference in technique.

As she traded blows with him, it becomes clear to her that the boy is no stranger to a fight. While his technique is sloppy and unrefined, all of his moves are focused and his reflexes are sharp, and his eyes are sharp, always looking for a weakness to exploit.

And through that persistence, she was now caught in a rather embarrassing predicament. Feeling sure that she could deliver a knockout blow to the boy, she was caught unprepared when the boy suddenly lashed out with the same technique that he mimicked off her.

She quickly moves to nullify the technique, catching the unleashed energy with practiced movement, redirecting the energy between her hands, slowly moulding it into her will.

But the boy put quite a large amount of energy into this attack. And since he released it at nearly point blank range, she's unable to contain all of the chi attacks as a fraction of the energy manages to penetrate her guard, landing a solid hit on her right shoulder.

It stings quite a bit, but if there's one thing she's most proud of herself, is her durability. This kind of pain is nothing; she definitely has taken much worse before, for she is the gate keeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

* * *

><p>No fricking way...<p>

I thought that would nail her, but the girl somehow manages to caught my energy kick slasher thing with her hands!

And now she's bringing her hands down on to me once again, with the energy from my kick still violently glowing between her hands! Dammit! This is going to hurt a lot...

My body is feeling weak from discharging that many energy, so there's not much I can do but to take the hammer blow directly. "Ghah!" My lungs are emptied of air and I was sent hurtling down to the ground.

I unceremoniously crashed onto the ground.

"Ow..." I groaned as I pick myself from a small indentation on the ground. Thankfully I didn't land on the hard tiles, that would hurt a lot more.

The girl landed a few steps away from me, her hand lightly rubbing her right shoulder. "Do you yield?" She asked.

I manage to get up again, but my body is sore all over and my legs are feeling particularly weak. I'm in no shape to fight anything until I recover. "Yeah, that's it for today..." I let myself plop back to the ground. "Now that I think about it, I feel stupid for wanting to keep going after you beat me up the first time"

"There's no one to blame for that beside yourself"

"True... but then again, this while mess started because you attacked me didn't it?"

"Oops, I guess we both get a bit carried away huh?"

"A bit?" I look around the garden. There are multiple craters all over the place, and the stone pathway has cracks in many different locations. Plus there's now an imprint of myself on this spot of the garden when I crashed just now. "You want me to help you clean up?"

"Ah... no, it's okay, I can do this by myself. I appreciate the offer, but the garden is part of my respon...sibi..li...ty..." She trailed off when she saw the large hole in the wall. "Waaah! You're in the garden! You're inside!" She suddenly yells out while pointing at me.

"W-what? Is that bad?"

"It's bad! You're not a guest here! You're not supposed to be in here! Aahh... Sakuya-san is going to get angry at me again for not doing my job!" She's on the verge of crying now. I feel kinda bad for her.

"I... I'll just leave then...'

I tiredly stand back up, fully intending to leave the place when a voice stopped me. "No, stay. For the moment you are a guest"

Hm? An unfamiliar voice.

Turning around toward the mansion, I saw a little girl underneath a parasol walking towards us. Eyes bright red, a pair of bat like wing on her back... Yeah, this little girl cannot be human... She's quite classy though, I mean, not many people wear a pink mob cap these days.

"Milady! You're... D-Did we wake you?"

This little girl is the owner of this mansion? Really?

"You most certainly did"

The red haired girl instantly bowed down low toward the little girl. "I'm very sorry!"

"I'll excuse it this one time. After all, I did manage to see something interesting"

The little girl turns to address me.

"You, human, you're the one that tengu mentioned in her newspaper are you not? I thought she was just making up stories as usual, but to think the one most improbable is true... come closer"

"Okay?"

I step closer to her.

"... You're too tall, bend down"

She sounded agitated. Better do what she says... who am I to say no to the mistress of a very large mansion who is probably strong enough to kill me before I can blink.

Bad thought stay away... anyway, I lower myself so I don't have to look down on her anymore.

... Maybe I should go a bit lower so she's the one that's looking down on me. The kids back in the orphanage likes it better if I speak to them like that.

With her height... that means I have to kneel down...

"Hm~"Yeah, she seemed much happier... or probably just amused as I kneeled down before her. "So, tell me. Why have you intruded upon my home?"

"I was... apparently used as a distraction by an acquaintance of mine. I'm really sorry for the commotion I caused"

"A distraction you say?"

"Yes. She used me as a human projectile to divert your gatekeeper. It nearly didn't worked" I shivered as I recalled the memory from earlier.

"Is that so... then I suppose it would be improper of me to punish you for a sin that is not of your decision" She intentionally drawled out her words. I sensed a 'but' coming soon here.

"But... since you're standing on my property, I believe it is within my right to extract some sort of payment from you, am I correct?"

"I guess so?" I don't know where she's going with this, but I just know something bad is going to happen soon.

"In that case" She snapped her finger. "Sakuya"

A girl in maid clothing suddenly appeared beside me. "Yes Milady"

"I believe he just volunteer to provide me with some refreshments"

The maid turns to regards me before she nodded. "As you wish Milady" A knife suddenly appears on her hand. "Shirou-san is it? Just be still for a moment and I promise you it'll be over quick"

Well... since she ask nicely with a knife on her hand, of course I'll RUN AWAY! Or at least I tried to, but before I can do anything the maid had already grabbed my arm and swiftly makes a cut on my palm.

"HRNKT!" It takes all my willpower not to scream bloody murder.

"There's no need to be concerned. Just bear with it quietly and I promise that you'll survive through this" The maid quietly said to me. Her tone is different from when she was talking to the little girl. Her completely cool behaviour almost makes me believe her. Keyword: 'almost'.

"R-right... though a little warning would be appreciated" I'm seriously worried at the moment, but there's nothing I can do but to trust this maid.

"My apologies. Now if you would kindly press your fingers together right here..." The maid holds my bleeding hand with both hands as she cupped my fingers together, letting a small pool of blood to form in my palm.

"Oh~~ such a strong smell" The little girl dipped her index finger on the pool of blood on my hand and gave it a quick lick. "Surprisingly clean for the blood of an outsider, but still retaining the strong flavour. Not bad at all..." She commented.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it Milady" Before I realize it, the maid is now holding a tea cup on her left hand, which is slowly being filled by the blood leaking from my hand. "Would this be enough or should I acquire some more?" She asked when the tea cup is nearly full of my blood.

"That is fine" The little girl said as she takes the cup away from the maid. She spins the tea cup three times in her hand before she take a sip of the blood; my blood! "It's good. You have my praise for having such an exquisite blood flowing through your veins" She gave me a somewhat questionable compliment before she downed the rest of my blood.

"T-thanks?" I ignore the way my heart is hammering on my chest. This girl... she just drank my blood. I'm not one to jump to conclusion, but I'm pretty sure that this little girl is... "Not to be rude, but are you a vampire?"

The little girl looks at me in the eyes before she lets out an amused laugh. "I see your feeble human mind is still struggling to accept the reality before your very eyes. Very well then, allow me to be a gracious host and introduce myself" The girl handed back the now empty cup to the maid before she turns fully towards me. "I am Remilia Scarlet, mistress of the Scarlet Devil Mansion. And just as you say, I am a vampire" Her bat like wings spread open for extra dramatization.

My mind screeched to a halt at the admittance. "Wow... that's..." Not knowing what to say, my mouth quickly spoke for itself. "Please don't kill me" I said the first thing that popped into my head.

The vampire, Remilia, grinned widely. Her sharp fangs become visible under the thin line of her mouth.

As I start freaking out, I didn't notice until much later that my bleeding hand has now been wrapped in bandages.

* * *

><p>"Remi is really enjoying herself" The girl in purple said as she observed the proceedings back in the balcony.<p>

"That's so mean of her. Taking advantage of the guy's unfamiliarity with Gensokyo and using it for amusement" The magician next to her said.

The girl in purple let out a sigh at the magician's choice of words. Both of them have been listening onto the conversation using her spell, and thus they both heard how the boy describes how he gets here in the first place.

Sometimes she wonder if her acquaintance over here ever thinks about what she just said or she's just being selective with her memory recognition process.

"Anyway, I'm going back to my Library" She said as she stands up. Now that the commotion is over, she can finally do some more reading in peace. There's no more reason for her to be staying outside for any longer.

"Then I'll..."

"Follow me and I'll burn you"

"Okay"

* * *

><p>It took a while before the vampire admits that she's just having fun with me, but even then I still cannot be calm as her choke of words to console me is anything but reassuring.<p>

"_Though I enjoyed your reaction, there's no need for you to be submissive towards me. As long that you never give me any reason to, I will stay my hand from exterminating your fragile life"_

With such reassurance, how can I not be worried?

"Anyway, as much as I enjoyed your company..." I can't help but to shiver at the dangerous glint on her blood red eyes. "I believe it's time for you to go. I'll be taking a quick walk outside my mansion and it is considered rude to be in someone's house while they're not around. Unless of course you're a thief, in which case you are an intruder that needs to be eliminated"

"R-right. "

"I'm glad that we're seeing eye to eye. Well then, I'll be taking my leave first, I trust you can show yourself out"

"Y-yeah, no problem" Considering I'm still outside the mansion, and the gate is just behind me. Speaking of which, I should apologize for destroying part of the wall and other damages to the garden. "Um... I'm sorry for the mess..."

"It's all been taken care of"

Turning around, I saw the maid walking toward me and the vampire. Behind her, is a completely repaired wall; the hole which I punched through earlier somehow has been patched without me ever noticing it. And not only that, the holes in the grounds has also been refilled and the cracked tiles replaced with new one. If one takes a look at the garden now, there's not a single piece of evidence that a fight just broke out a short time ago.

"Wow... that was... quick"

"It is my job; though please refrain from causing too much mess next time"

Though she got a neutral face as she said that, I can feel waves of annoyance rolling off her. "Sorry..."

"That goes to you too Meiling"

The red haired girl, the gate keeper who was quietly standing on the side all this time bowed her head in apology. "I'm sorry..."

Having said her piece, the maid moved to her mistress' side. With practiced ease, she takes hold of her mistress' parasol and holds it up for her mistress.

"Let's go Sakuya"

"Of course Milady"

And they both fly off. Destination, I don't know and I don't care. Why can everyone I meet outside of the human village fly? It's so not fair to the one who have to walk all over the place. Anyway, I better leave also. Don't want to overstay my welcome here.

I start moving towards the gate, but I tripped and stumbled down the moment I tried walking.

The gatekeeper quickly moves beside me and grabbed me to stop my fall. "Are you okay?" She asked as she tries to keep me from falling.

"Ahaha... Your mistress is scary..." I must've been so tense while I was talking to the vampire earlier that I did not realize my legs have been paralysed by fear until now. "Can you help me go out? I don't want to be here by the time she comes back"

The gatekeeper didn't complain as I leaned on her and we both walked outside of the gate. After that, she put me down near the wall and sits down herself next to me.

"So... you're new in Gensokyo?"

"Yeah..."

"When did you arrive?"

"About 3 week ago, give or take a few days"

"Oh..."

There's an awkward silence after that. I have nothing against this girl, but just what am I suppose to talk about?

"So uh... You're not mad that I tried to copy your technique?"

"No, should I?

"I guess not" She answered with a shrug. "So what are you really? You said you're human, but you're nothing like a human. Even now I still find it hard to think of you as a human"

I quietly ponder her words before I answered. "Am I still giving off a non human vibes?"

"What are you...?" The gate keeper paused in mid words as she understood my meaning. "Yes, though it's weaker than before, I'm still sensing weird energy signature coming from you"

"Huh... is that so..." I muttered while slowly raising my right fist. I tried pushing my energy into it like before and my fist starts glowing again, albeit much dimmer than before. I tried using the sensing thing again, and at best I can only detect things 1 to 2 metres away from me, and even then I have to concentrate really hard to notice it. "Got not much left, I should go back to normal soon enough"

"Is that so... shame, I was kind of hoping we can have another match once in a while"

"Don't sweat it. I can un-normal myself anytime. Just tell me the time and day and I'll take you on anytime"

The girl smiled at that. "Hehe, you're a weird human"

"From my point of view, this place is the one's that weird. So excuse me for trying to fit in"

We both laugh at that. We spend some time talking after that. I noticed my legs have regained their strength at some point, but I decided to stay a bit longer. I admit I'm a bit worried if the vampire comes back while I'm still around, but I am not lingering inside the mansion gate and we were just talking, so I it should be fine.

Our talk is suddenly interrupted when a loud explosion rocked the mansion. We both jumped up and turned to face the mansion, just in time to see a slightly singed magician making her exit through a window.

Said magician quickly spotted me and flew down with a big smile on her face. "Hey there Shirou. Glad to see you're still alive" Marisa cheerfully greeted me.

"Marisa... what..."

"Hm? Oh this?" She gestured toward her singed clothing. "I was just finalizing a transaction so I can borrow some things"

"Right... so you're okay?"

"Yup. Thanks for worrying"

"No problem. It's good to see you're okay. That way I won't feel bad about doing this!" With what remaining energy I got left, I punched out a bullet toward the magician. The moment the bullet left me, I felt completely normal again, my spell card must've timed out or something.

"Hey wow!" Marisa yelled out at the surprise attack. It nearly hit her but she manages to dodge out of the way in the last second. "What was that for?"

"I think I'm entitled for a payback after you tossed me off your broom"

"Holding grudge is unhealthy you know. And besides, you're fine aren't you? China manages to catch you before you fall? Whoa!"

The magician once again finds herself under fire, this time from an irate gatekeeper. "Stop calling me China! My name is Hong Meiling!"

"Nah, China sounds about right" Marisa calls out after she dodges all her bullets.

"Marisa...!" My temper reached its peak; I angrily draw out my spell card from my pocket. "Meiling is it? I'm gonna un-normal myself right now. Mind if I use these on you?"

The gatekeeper, Meiling looks at the spell cards in surprise before she nodded. "Only if you help me deal with this intruder"

"It would be my genuine pleasure'

"Wait, ganging up is just unfair. What happened to a fair fight in a danmaku?"

"Sorry, I'm all bite at the moment" I replied hotly while raising my spell card at the gatekeeper once again.

* * *

><p>A fair distance away, in the vicinity of the Hakurei Shrine, a certain vampire finds herself deep in thoughts. "Hm..."<p>

Noticing her mistress' state of mind, the maid decided to pry into it. "Milady, is there something in your mind?"

At the question, the vampire hummed in thought before she turns to her trusted maid. "That human... If the tengu's was correct, then it was the gap youkai who brought him into Gensokyo"

"I am aware of that"

The vampire nodded at her maid's confirmation. "If that was a fact, then one must wonder for what purpose he was brought to Gensokyo. For all we know about that gap youkai, she never done anything on a whim. And the chances that she did it from the goodness of her heart is close to nil"

"Indeed"

"And then, in front of our very eyes, the human displayed the ability to persist through a full out fight with Meiling. I am fully aware that she's holding back significantly, but for him to display such non human qualities during the fight... It warrants some investigation"

"Is that not why we're on the way to see Reimu?"

"... I guess I'm over thinking it too much. Nonetheless, tell me; what is your opinion on the human"

The maid is taken aback for she is not expecting that question from her mistress. Closing her eyes, she recalls every fact and every detail from memory that she has involving the boy.

Remilia stopped moving when she notice that her maid is hovering in spot while lost in her thought. Wanting to know what her maid thinks of the boy, she patiently waited for her to speak again.

It took nearly a minute before the maid opens her mouth again, and the vampire is honestly shocked at what came out of her mouth. "If I may be honest, I see little reason to be wary of him" the maid stated with conviction.

Quickly reorganising her thoughts, the vampire pried further into her maid's assessment. "Oh? That's quite a strong word. What makes you think that?"

The maid closes her eyes once again as she recalls something from her memory. "Because I found that not a single flower was ruined in the garden" That's right. While she was fixing the garden, not once does she find the need to replant any of the flowers in the garden. "I'm sure Meiling also noticed his respect for the garden, and she most probably would agree with my assessment that the boy can be trusted. At the very least I'm sure that he has no ill intentions"

The vampire nodded at the maid's assessment. Her maid is quite a good judge of character, and there's little reason to doubt her words. "He could be just an idiot"

The maid smiled. "Patchouly-sama said the same thing"

"A keen observation, as expected of her" The vampire laughed before a stern look crosses her face. "Since you're that confident about him, I suppose I could give him the benefits of the doubt for now. But mark my words; if he ever... No, on the day that he proves to be a threat, on the day that he challenges a power greater than him. I WILL run him through with Gungnir"

"Milady, that's..."

The stern look on the vampire's face quickly disappears as a teasing grin takes it place. "Ah, don't worry about it, what are the chances of that actually happening anyway? Come now, it's been a while since I last saw the shrine maiden, and we have a lot of catching up to do" The vampire easily dismisses the heavy atmosphere with a laugh.

But unknown to even the manipulator of fate herself, her untimely joked has left its mark. At that very moment, the wheel of fate ceased turning for the human boy. The roads ahead are still bare open, but the final destination has now been set.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 21- <strong>**A House where the Devils resides!-****End**

**A dark ending just now isn't it? Let's hope that's enough bait for you all to keep reading the story. Mwahahaha!**

**Now a few clarification on possible questions. When Shirou used his spell card on Meiling, aside from copying her physical prowess and chi energy, he also gained her ability to sense energy in the surrounding, thus getting a passive sixth sense that he uses to predicts Meiling's attacks and keep track of the bullets during the 1st phase of the fight.**

**And then regarding the second spell card usage... It copied one of the spell card that Meiling uses in Touhou Hisoutensoku. I can't remember what's its name was, but I know it's the one that make swirly rainbow hadouken thingy. Since Shirou does not know how to utilize it to it's full potential, all he can do is use it to make bullets flies out of his fist. He also applies the same principles to unleash energy whiplashes from his feet.**

**So what do you all think? The danmaku (can it still be called a danmaku though?) against Meiling is written based on the Touhou Hisoutensoku (12.3). Special thanks to youtube username Furyenify for uploading a nice video exhibiting Meiling's attacks in Touhou Hisoutensoku. **

**Now can I have some reviews please? I'm happy that I got a handful from the previous chapter, but... I kinda want more... hehe...**

* * *

><p><strong>Profile Update:<strong>

**Hong Meiling**

**Colourful Rainbow Gatekeeper**

Shirou's Note: She seems like a nice person, I think I can get along with her just fine. I honestly don't see what's wrong with that nickname since everything about her screamed China to me, but since she hate that nickname, I best to never use that word during our conversation. I never asked what kind of youkai she is, but I guess that's not really important for to know anyway, so I'm not gonna bother asking.

**Remilia Scarlet**

**Eternally Young Scarlet Moon**

Shirou's Note: I'm gonna stay away from her as much as possible. Vampires... It's not that I don't like her, but she left quite an impression when she have that maid cut my palm so she can drink my blood. Basically... She scares the hell out of me.


	8. Day 24: I'm A What Now?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Uwah. What messy month. This chapter would've been up a few days sooner if not for the crap that keeps happening. Anyway, I'm not too happy with how this chapter goes, but apparently my editor said it's fine. And since I can't be bothered to try to rewrite the chapter... well, here it is.**

**Sorry if some part felt a bit rushed... There's a lot of things happening in this chapter after all.**

**Day 24- I'm a What Now?**

* * *

><p>"C'mon Shirou, pass it!"<p>

"Kinda busy here!" I yelled back while keeping the ball away from small legs that are trying to take it away from me. My skill with a soccer ball is not below mediocre if I do say so myself, but no matter how good I am, trying to escape from a triple team from a group of children is not an easy task, especially since the three do not seem to comprehend the concept of a foul. "Ouch! Hey, stop kicking my legs"

The kid who just kicked my shin just laughed at my protest. "Haha! We're taking you down old man!"

Urk. Good thing I left my sword at home today or I might be tempted to draw it right now. "Who's the old man? I'm only 17!" I tapped the soccer ball from below, sending it upward above the children's heads. When it reached its peak, I bounce the ball with my head, sending it to one of the kids in my team. No sooner that I send the ball away, the kids around me quickly scampered off as they chase after the ball. "Okay, I'm done for now. Anyone want in?" One of the kids who were watching quickly runs off to join the game, while I cleared out of the ground.

Keine is waiting for me on the sideline of the makeshift court. "Thank you for playing with the children" She said to me.

"No worries. It gave me something to do at least"

"You still can't find work?"

"No..." For the past two days I've been scouring the village for a job. But even after days of searching, I still can't find a place of employment. It's not like there's a lack of jobs around the village as there are plenty of places looking for help. But unfortunately, my skill set is a bit lacking for most of the jobs offered. Aside from manual labour there's not much I can do, and it's starting to worry me, which is why I went to see Keine.

Never thought I'd get roped into a ball game by the kids just a few minutes into the conversation.

"Have you tried the west side of the village? It's almost harvest time so the farmers would be looking for a helping hand by now" She suggested.

"Tried that. But then I find out just how entrenched a potato can be. I hurt my back just after pulling a handful of potato sprout. Spend the rest of the day recovering after that"

To her credit, there's only a slight tugging in Keine's cheek in response to her amusement. "Were you pulling them out by... pulling?" When I nodded to her question, she quickly looked away while putting her hand in front of her mouth as to block it from my view.

"... That was wrong was it?"

Her shoulder shakes slightly before she turns back to face me. "W-well... at least you managed to pull a few right? I'm sure if you ask the farmers to teach you how to do it properly..."

"I did that, but they already have enough helping hand by now, so that's a no go"

"That's unfortunate..." Keine let out a heavy sigh as she rubbed her head in thought. "Have you tried around the shop district? Maybe one of the shops needs a helping hand"

"I've tried that too. But I got nothing"

"Hm... this is quite a problem. I'll see what I can do. For now, you could just keep helping out at Kourindou. I heard the owner is quite fond of you"

"... I'm trying to limit my visit to that place" The last time I went to Kourindou is about a week ago. The owner as usual is all but too happy to pay me to identify his junk wares, but I can't help but feeling that I'm exploiting the man's eagerness. Not to mention that it's unhealthy to be surrounded by junk for so long; just look at the owner, his obsession with junk must've stemmed from living amongst his 'wares' for too long.

"Beggars can't be chooser" Keine playfully shakes her fingers in front of my face.

"Ain't that the truth..." I sighed.

At my reaction, Keine smiled before she scoots closer to me and place a hand over my head. "Just keep trying. The world will reward you if you keep persisting" She said while lightly patting my head.

I can feel my face heating up from the gesture. It's embarrassing that she's treating me like a child, but since she's showing concern to my situation I can't just push the hand away. So with that I just swallowed my pride and silently endure the head patting.

...

...

I usually have a strong endurance and willpower to the point of being called stubborn, but this embarrassing treatment easily whittles down my limit. "... I-Isn't it time for you to start the class again?" I forcefully muttered in an effort to escape from the treatment.

"Oh, you're right" Keine said, pulling back her hand from my head. "Okay, time to go back to class" She shouted out to the kids, who in turn let out a loud groan that seems to have covered the whole school backyard. "Don't be like that. Tomorrow is a no school day so you can play all day. But for now, time to continue our lessons"

Keine stands up and starts shepherding the kids back to the school building, leaving me alone sitting on the side. "Urhngg..." I can't help bit to let out an indignant whine while grabbing onto my head. That was so embarrassing! More so than usual because near the end, that head patting was starting to felt good. Dammit! It felt like I'm back to my first day on the night club, being dotted on left and right by the employees, like some sort of mascot.

A-Anyway... I better get out of here. I can reminisce on my naivety later. For now I should resume my job hunt once again. Maybe I can try around the—

"Extra! Extra!"

Everyone's head including mine looked up at the loud voice.

There, zooming around the sky above the village is a familiar black winger girl. "Bunbumaru Special Release! Extra! Extra!" The one and only Aya Shameimaru is yelling loudly as she scatters papers all over the sky.

Said papers lazily drifted downward, and I easily snatched one mid air when one strayed close to me. Easily unfolding the paper, I take a quick look at the article and...

"WHAT THE FU-"

"Shirou!" Keine yells out in a timely interruption.

"Ugh... sorry, wrong choice of words..." I stammer out an apology. I can't help but feel embarrassed again when I notice all the young eyes that are staring at me. I didn't finish saying what I intended to say, but I can't help but to think that I just corrupted some innocents minds just now.

Keine is glaring at me as she picked up one of the papers that landed near her. As soon as she read the first lines, her eyes widened as she quickly covered her mouth with her free hand. "Oh my..." She muttered.

That's quite suppressed reaction, but yeah, my thought exactly. There's only one article and one picture on this small paper, but it's large headline left quite an impact as I quickly read through the article. I didn't even have to finish reading the article to know that this is going to be one pain in the ass. Just what possessed that tengu to write such article?

"Good morning! The clean and honest Shameimaru is here!" Speaking of said youkai, she suddenly appears, perched on top of Keine's school. Just how is she clean and honest! "So? What do you think about the Bunbumaru Special Extra News? I worked hard on it"

I'm supposed to be angry here, but my mind still not working well after being exposed to such shocking development. "Aya? Why did you..? How...? What...?" My mouth failed to express my thought as it receive jumbled signal from my confused brain.

"Speechless, I like that reaction!"

My speech impediment is definitely not caused by positive thoughts! I tried to argue back, but my mouth still fails me.

In the middle of my confusion I almost failed to notice that Keine asking questions to the tengu. "Are you sure you're not embellishing this a bit too much?" She asked her.

"Nope! I wrote that based on what my investigations yields. This crow only after the truth after all" The tengu proudly stated before she floats away from the rooftop. "Anyway, I just have to deliver a copy to the shrine maiden and that'll be everyone. So without further ado, this crow bids farewell"

At the mention of 'shrine maiden', my mind instantly snapped back together. "Wait! Reimu's gonna kill me if she read that!" I shouted at her.

"No worries! I'll be sure to write about it in my paper if she does kill you. See ya" She gave me a quick two handed salute before she turns around and...

"**Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion!"** I yelled out right as she flew off. I instantly felt the change in my body as the spell card take effect. "I gotta run. I'll see you kids next time okay?" Not even looking at them, I hastily say my farewell while I pocketed my spell card again. As soon I safely tucked the spell card in my pocket, I rush off to chase the tengu.

* * *

><p>Keine is surprised when the boy suddenly pulls out a spell card out of his pocket. The surprise turns to worries when the boy invokes the spell card with the children still nearby. When nothing visible happens after the card's invocation, and as the crow tengu flew off, she was relieved that her backyard would not turn into a danmaku battle zone. She was going to scold the boy when he hastily bid his farewell and then running off.<p>

Normally she would yell at him to come back, but she was unable to do so as a small gust of winds kicks in as soon as the boy runs off. Reflexively shielding her eyes with her hand, when she lowered her hand, the boy is no longer in sight.

"W-wha..." She can't help but to be shocked at what just happened.

"Whoa... that was so cool..." One of the children voiced out his amazement.

Quickly recomposing herself, she turns towards her younger wards. "Okay, show's over, back to the classroom everyone" The children grumbled at her instruction, but all she had to do was narrow her eyes in displeasure and all the children quickly and obediently went back to the classroom.

As she watches the children walking toward the classroom, her eyes landed on one of the papers scattered all over her backyard. Bringing the one she's still holding back up to face level, she rereads the headline once again.

... Maybe she should end class early today, a quick homework assignment before she dismissed the children. After that, she needs to find some answers regarding the boy. This village is under her protection after all, and as its protector, it would be prudent for her to know everything that's going on in it.

* * *

><p>The Hakurei shrine maiden let out an undignified sigh as she checks the content of her donation box. No matter how much she looks at it, the only thing that she can see is the bottom of an empty box. She was half hoping that the new box would have more luck than the old one, but it seems that was just wishful thinking on her part. Feeling frustrated, she closed the lid of the box before picking up a broom and resuming her task of sweeping the temple's courtyard. It's not that the courtyard needs any cleaning, but more on the fact that she got nothing better to do.<p>

As she lazily sweeps the floor, she lets her mind wanders off to a memory from a few days ago, when a certain vampire and her maid appeared in her shrine without warning. Said vampire then proceeded to drill her with questions regarding a certain someone. Obviously she refused to answered, but then...

"_Very well, since you insisted that he's a normal human, then with his abilities, I believe the boy should classify as an incident. Now last I checked it is within your job description to be responsible to any incident in Gensokyo, so with that logic, you're responsible for him. Now then, though it's unintentional, the boy has caused some damages to my mansion. With that said, I believe it is within my right to ask you to reimburse the repair cost" The vampire told her._

Her defense instantly crumbles the moment the maid told her the estimated cost of repairs. In the end, though she still manages to hide some of the more important details, she ended up spilling most of the details regarding him to the vampire, from his abilities to his spell cards. Let's just say that the vampire left her shrine with a triumphant smirk on her face.

Hopefully that won't become a problem in the long run, but even she must admit that sounded unlikely. Anything that caught Remilia's fancy tends to ended up messy after all. Either that or she'll play around with him until she gets bored before discarding of him like a ruined rag. In that sense she's the same as her sister, though the younger one's method of disposal is much more... destructive.

Maybe she should tell him to lay low for a while... No spell card usage while sticking close to the village. Hopefully the vampire will lose interest in him after a while.

"Lost in thought?"

A voice breaks the shrine maiden out of her musing. Looking up toward the roof of her shrine, there stands a crow tengu. Not in the mood to deal with this youkai, the shrine maiden skipped the greetings and go straight to business. "What do you want?"

"Good day to you too. And to answer your question, I am handing out an extra special bunbunmaru release" The tengu flapped a piece of paper on her hand before jumping off the roof, landing with a barely noticeable thud on the shrine ground.

"And I said times and times again, I don't want it. Just toss it in the trash bin for me will you?"

"Don't be like that. I promise that you will find this article to be very enlightening" The tengu proudly stated before she unfolded the paper and hold it up in front of the shrine maiden.

The shrine maiden glanced at the paper and a split second after that, the paper has been snatched off the tengu's hand. "W-what is this?" Her voice echoed loudly in the courtyard.

At her reaction, the tengu opened her notepad and quickly scribbles something on it. "Nice reaction. I think it's safe to say that the article is newsworthy" She muttered.

"Aya, you..."

"No worries, I didn't mention his spell cards yet. I think the article would have more appeal that way"

"How did you...? You know? How?"

"It's easy; I just kept an eye on him. In fact, I was watching when he first tested it against the black-white"

"Urk... I hate how farsighted you can be... But what is this article? Is he really doing this?"

The tengu smiled widely. "That... why don't you ask him yourself?" She said while pointing to something behind her.

Turning around, the shrine maiden easily spotted what the tengu was telling her. For there, leaning on one of the tall pillars at her shrine's entrance, is the subject of her ire, breathing heavily as if he was running away from a shinigami.

* * *

><p>"Hah... hah... hah..." I struggled to breathe as I leaned on the giant pillars at the shrine's entrance.<p>

The tengu's speed is no joke. I can barely see where I'm going when I was running. The wind whipping my face stings my eyes, and breathing becomes hard as the air is being pushed away from me.

Then there's the problem with control. First time I tried to slow down so I could breathe I ended up tripping on my feet and falling face first a few metres from where I initially tripped. Thankfully a tengu's endurance is much higher than a human, so I only get a few light scrapes from that potentially hazardous fall.

Then there are the trees. Once again I'm thankful to my nonhuman endurance as I ran into a few tree trunks on the way. I got multiple light bruises from each collision, and each tree acquired a deep indentation from where I smashed into them, one even fell over. Luckily I don't get any splinters... I think...

I guess that's what I get for using my spell card on a very fast youkai like Aya. But at least I managed to reach the shrine in record time.

"Shirou...!"

"Uh-oh" Unfortunately, it seems I'm already too late. Reimu has already seen the paper and now she's advancing menacingly towards me. My danger sense is tingling! This furious shrine maiden is a dangerous threat! Youkai are tame in comparison to her!

"Reimu, you know that is not my fault right? I didn't say or do anything that lead to that article"

"Maybe you did or maybe you don't. But right now I really don't care!"

That's the last thing I heard before a spinning orb hit me right in the head, knocking me out almost instantly

* * *

><p><em><strong>An offer of aid! A freelancer in Gensokyo!<strong>_

_It has come to my attention that someone has been helping out in the human village lately. A full investigation throughout the village revealed that our latest human newcomer is responsible for it. A hand on account described his help as indispensable. This particular shop owner claimed that the boy went so far as to brave the forest of magic all by himself. He returned later on that day no worse for the wear, carrying with him the requested items from the forest. _

_It is unknown what prompted the boy to help so readily, but regardless of his intention, he seems content to be paid with daily necessities such as food and drinks aside from monetary rewards. _

_Investigating further, this reporter then directed a few humans in needs to the boy. And much to my astonishment, the boy, though expressing a degree of confusion at the requests, performed as I predicted, aiding the humans as best as he can, from taking care of the children to making a purchase at Kourindou._

_This reporter is unsure whether it was bravery or ignorance that allows him to traverse across Gensokyo all by himself, but there's no denying the fact that he can handle himself against youkai. A quick chat with the gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion provided hints that our newcomer is not unfamiliar with combat situation, and based on the number of angry youkai who crossed his path; this fact seems to be quite true. _

_While his reliability is questionable at best, there is no denying that the boy has delivered some good results as a man for hire, a freelancer. While it started as a test from this reporter, I think it is a safe bet that his service would be beneficial to the human community and perhaps even the youkai too. As a closing note, this reporter encourages all to seek his help whenever they needed it. To employ his service, either ask him in person or stop by his house, which is located at..._

"So? What are you going to do about this?" The shrine maiden asked me as she place down the piece of paper on the table.

I rubbed the painful bruise on my head as I answered. "I don't know. This is not something I planned to do" I would blame this on the tengu, but Reimu said she already flies off when I was still out cold. Apparently I was out for sometime after she hit me with that orb thing, most likely from the combination of pain and exhaustion.

"Maybe so. But the fact is, some of the villagers might come to you because of this. As much as I hate to admit it, that crow does have a number of readers among the villagers"

"You're saying I should do it?"

"I'm not saying anything. This is something you must decide by yourself, no matter how much I wish it wasn't"

"Uu..." I scratched my head as I reread the paper once again. Sure I've been looking for a job these past few days, but a 'freelancer'? Not only it sounded shady, it also seems dangerous. But I do really need a job. So maybe I could give this a try for a while, see how it works. Maybe it won't be so bad?

"Just a warning, if you're doing this, just remember that the more people you help the more people will come to you for help. Some really dangerous requests might come your way if your reputation is good enough"

"Ugh... I didn't think about that" I put down my face on the table, too tired from all the thoughts running in my head. At times like this I wish I could talk about my problems with someone. With that thought, I quickly glance upward toward Reimu.

"...what?"

Yeah, she's not gonna be much help with this matter. I need someone with a rational mind. Someone that is wise enough to weigh the pros and cons before making solid decisions, preferably having a high familiarity with the village also.

... No matter how I thought about it, only one person comes to mind that fits the description.

* * *

><p>Everyone in the vicinity cringed at the loud smack as two heads collided.<p>

"That's what you get for pulling off that stunt this morning" Keine scolded me.

I'm crouched low while holding my head in pain. "I... I'm sorry..." My source of help decided to greet with me with a very painful head butt when she found me standing on her doorstep. I think I deserved that one, but it's hard to think with all the spots dancing in my vision.

"So, what brings you back here? And with the shrine maiden too" She asked.

Reimu stepped up to talk as I'm unable to do so under the intense pain on my head. "He needs your opinion on something. And I'm tagging along to hear his decision"

"My opinion?" Keine echoed the word before she moved aside and motioned us to enter her school. "Let's talk about this inside. Too many ears are listening out here"

Neither I nor Reimu have a problem with that, so we both followed Keine into the building. She brought us to her living room before she left and came back a few minutes later with three cups of tea. And so, under a more civilized setting, with warm tea to calm my aching head, I recounted my story to the school teacher, explaining my spell cards and the situation caused by the tengu newspaper.

"I see..." She nodded her head as I finished my story. "This is quite a decision to be made"

"What do you think?" I asked her.

"Hm... under normal circumstances I would say no to the idea, the risk involved is too much no matter how beneficial it would be. But that notion would be a bit hard to accomplish right now"

"How so?"

"Just earlier I was talking to the village chief. It seems he's quite pleased with the idea of having a freelancer in the village. And after that, while I was walking back home, two villagers approached me, asking for your whereabouts. And don't get me started on the children"

"The news spread that fast already?" Reimu asked in surprise.

"Yes. Unfortunately refusing would be an uphill battle at this point" Keine regretfully confirmed the fact.

Now this is a fine mess I got into. Next time I run into that tengu I'm going to give her a piece of my mind! Anyway, there's only one thing to do now. "Then I just have to do it, right?"

"Unless you can rewind time, then yes"

"Oh boy... I don't suppose there's anyone that can help me to rewind time?" I asked just in case.

"There's no one" She sternly answered. "Haah... what a mess this is... I just know this is going to gave me so much trouble"

"Hey, I'm the one that'll get into trouble. And you don't see me complaining about it"

"But I'm the one that have to deal with the aftermath of... pretty much everything that you do. Did you know that I got a visit from a vampire just a few days ago? Take a guess on what she wanted"

"... Blood?"

"She asked me about you. Apparently someone gave her the idea that I'm your caretaker"

"I don't need a babysitter"

"And yet you keep running head first into trouble. Why can't you just stay quietly in the village like every other normal human?"

"Sheesh, stop fussing over everything that I do. What are you? My mother?"

"And what are you? An irresponsible child that keeps acting without thinking? Try using your head a bit more. Gods know how many troubles you'll avoid that way" Reimu harshly scolded me. Her furrowing brow clearly shows that she's fuming mad. "I did not gave you those spell cards so you can just go ahead and tackle everything head on"

Normally I would back down at this point, but hearing her make light of my situation caused blood to rush to my head. "Hey, I didn't use them lightly. Sure I admit that using it on Aya today is a bit excessive, but the time I used it on that gatekeeper is another story. I didn't have any other options back then" I angrily retorted. The situation back then is one of near death experience Using the spell card at that time is more of a survival tactics instead of a random impulse. "How does that gave you trouble? Oh right, you're just too lazy to even answers a few questions"

"And you're too impertinent to even appreciate my effort to keep you out of trouble!"

"How can I appreciate it if I never even notice it?"

It's not often that I lose my temper, but this shrine maiden just kept pushing all my buttons. I glare angrily at her and she returns the glare with her own. I know what she said make some sense, but right now I'm too angry to even consider the option to admit defeat to this girl. And I know for a fact that I'm not wrong either. Her 'effort' of keeping me safe is barely on the minimum side. And yet she has the gall to say that I'm giving her trouble? There's no way I'm gonna say I was the one at the wrong here!

"Okay you two, settle down" Keine calmly tries to ease the tension on the room. She's probably worried that her school will become a danmaku battle zone, and I guess her concern is not unfounded, as when I calmed myself down I found my hand is already holding my spell card. A quick glance reveals that Reimu has also took out her spell card. "I'm not taking sides here, but we still have a problem that need solving"

"R-right..." I put down my spell card.

"Yeah... So any idea on what he should do?" Reimu asked with low voice as she too put away her spell card.

Keine visible seems relieved as we stopped arguing. "Before things gets... tense, I was going to suggest that he receive a proper education about Gensokyo"

I find myself leaning to glance at Reimu, but I quickly squash the urge down. "What do you mean?" I look straight at Keine.

"Since you'll be doing this freelance thing, then it is within your right to refuse errands that you deemed too dangerous or unachievable. With the proper knowledge, you can discern which requests you should accept or refuse"

Hm, listening to that, she's right. The word free in freelancer means I can choose which job to take or not to take. "Then you're going to teach me about Gensokyo?"

Keine slowly shakes her head. "I thought about doing that, but then I remembered that there's someone much more qualified for the task"

I am confused by her answers, but Reimu seems to get it. "You mean..."

Keine nodded. "That's right. Shall we pay her a visit? I'm sure she won't mind the company, and she'll most likely be interested in him too"

A bit unsure on what's going on, I just go along with it. Beside, Keine won't drag me to somewhere dangerous, would she? "Okay? It's not like I have anything to do today. And I'm guessing the same goes for Reimu also..."

"Grnh..."

I can't help but to smirk when Reimu seems offended by my last comment. But then a hard smack to the back of my head quickly wipes the smirk off my face.

"Enough already. I expected better from the both of you. Now let's go. Maybe some fresh air will help you realize how stupid your arguments is"

"Yes Ma'am"

"... Fine"

* * *

><p>The sun is starting its descent from the sky, the time's probably past noon. With Keine on the lead, we walked through the village, destination unknown to me. I am tempted to ask, but I was too busy trying to stay inconspicuous, evading passing villagers and pretending not to notice the number of stares I'm getting. Keine is right. Most of the village already knows about the newspaper article.<p>

There's this one occasion where one villager approached me as we walked, but thankfully Keine comes to the rescue, telling him to try again tomorrow as currently she have needs of me. The villager heartily agreed leaving after giving me directions to his shop. I know that area, I'll check it out tomorrow. But for now, I just keep following Keine.

Soon enough, we arrive at our destination. It's one of the larger houses in the village. I passed by it a few times before, but I never have to go in here. Keine went up to the door and lightly knocked on it.

We don't have to wait long before someone opened the door. "Keine-sensei, good afternoon. Is there anything I can help you with?" A girl, probably in her mid 20s asked.

"Hello Ayane. Is your mistress' home?"

"Yes she is. Please come in"

We followed the girl into the house, where she then leads us into veranda overlooking a backyard. "If you would please wait here for a moment, I'll inform Lady Hieda of your arrival" She excuses herself before disappearing into the house.

When she's no longer in sight, Reimu opened her mouth for the first time since we argued. "Former student of yours?" She's clearly not speaking to me there.

"Yes, though it's been some time since I last saw her"

"I see..." And then she clamped up again. I get the feeling she's avoiding me, but it's not like I have anything to say to her, so I didn't say anything. And that's why we spent the waiting period in complete silence. I heard Keine sighing once or twice, but other than that, it's all quiet.

Thankfully, the house owner didn't keep us waiting for long before she appears from the house. When she spotted us, she quickly makes her way toward us, her kimono sliding across the wooden floor. "Sorry for the wait" She greeted us while coming to a stop next to Keine.

"It's fine. We're the one who should be sorry for the sudden visit"

The girl politely smiled before she looks over her guests. Her eyes lingered a few seconds on me before she turn back to Keine. "So what can I help you with?"

"Well..." Keine drawled out before she turns towards me.

Getting the hint, I stepped forward toward the girl. "Hello. My name is Shirou" I politely bowed as I introduce myself.

"I know you from the tengu's papers. You're that newcomer right?"

"Yes"

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm the ninth child of Miare, Hieda no Akyu. The head of this house"

That's a rather fancy title there. The Ninth child? Did she have 8 siblings somewhere in this big house? "Nice to meet you too Hieda-san"

"So what brings you all here?"

I glanced toward Keine, but she didn't react, so I guess I'll be the one doing the explanation. "You see, uh... They said I can learn about Gensokyo here?" I tried to explain, but I didn't exactly understand what we're doing here, so my explanation is limited.

Thankfully she seems to understand what we're trying to do here better than I did. "I get it. So is there anything in particular you wanted to look up?"

"Um..."

"Let's start him with places near the village. Though I won't be surprised if one day he shows up asking for the Sanzu River" Reimu answered in my stead. To my annoyance she just had to press the issue forward once more. Why the heck would I go to the river of dead souls in the first place? That's just looking for trouble, and I don't actively search for trouble, I get enough from the ones that comes by themselves.

"Yeah, right. And I'm sure you'd be doing a great job covering for it when that happens" I bites back at her.

Hieda looks at me and Reimu in confusion before Keine shakes her head as if telling her 'later'. "Right... so the lake and the forests then... I'll be back in a bit" She bowed slightly before turning around and disappearing back into the house.

As soon as she disappeared out of sight, Keine rounded up on both me and Reimu with a displeased look on her face. "You both still at it?"

"She started it"

"With plenty of reason to"

Keine rubbed her head in frustration at our reasoning. "Look. I don't know or care who's right or wrong here. All I know is that your arguments is no different than the bickering of my younger students. So can you two please start acting your age and stop this pointless argument"

"Fine... I'll try..."

"What he said"

At our replies, Keine lets out an exasperated sigh while shaking her head. Funnily, that's probably going to be my reaction if I were in her position. It looks like she's going to start lecturing us again, but thankfully the house owner choose that time to return.

"Here you go" She handed me a somewhat plain book.

Accepting the book from her, I curiously flip it open as I skimmed the content of a random page. "What's this?"

"The Gensokyo Chronicles. This particular volume contains the records regarding the human village and the surrounding areas"

"Huh..." I randomly flipped around the book until I stopped at a particular page that catches my eyes. An inked drawing on the particular page seems familiar to me. "Hey, this is that vampire's mansion"

"You've been there?" the house owner, Hieda-san seems surprised at that.

"Not by choice. But yeah, I went there a few days ago. Though I didn't actually go inside, I only went as far as the garden" I casually answered while skimming through the writings. One words in particular peaked my interest at the level of surrealism. "Fairy maids? Really?" I never seen a fairy before, but the two words doesn't make a good match in my opinion. Now I'm curious about it.

"You better not be thinking about going in there" Reimu said to me. Her tone is much more subdued compared to before, but the bite is still there.

I glance at her before burying myself back in the book. "Maybe I should, just to piss you off"

"Don't blame me if you died"

"I'll make sure to haunt you if I did"

"Try that and I'll exorcise you"

I got nothing to say to that. Feeling upset at this 'defeat', I bury myself on the book, completely tuning out the annoying shrine maiden before I lost my temper again.

* * *

><p>Keine watches the two human in front of her banter. After her scolding, the two manage to keep an air of civility around them, but she can almost see the cracks that appear in the facade the two put up. All it takes is a small spark, and these two will probably start barking at each other again. Honestly, how stubborn those two can be?<p>

"Excuse me" A voice called out to her. Turning to her side, she saw Hieda no Akyuu looking at her. The moment their eyes met, the younger of the two quickly motioned toward a spot slightly away from where they are sitting. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Catching the hint, Keine followed the younger girl to that spot.

Now that they're away from prying ears, the young girl turns to her. "Are those two okay?" She asked.

"They're having an argument. They both think the other is wrong and they're the one that's right.

"What do you think?"

"I'd say neither of them is wrong. But their points of view differ too greatly to come to an understanding"

"I see... Then shall we do something about it?"

"Hm?"

* * *

><p>My whole body tensed when I heard a small splash on the water surface. Anxious for what'll come, I take a calmly take a deep breath in preparation for when my opponent takes the bait. I didn't even finish exhaling when suddenly the rod in my hands jerked forward.<p>

Prepared for it, I quickly dig my feet on the ground. The opposing force is putting a good fight, but this is not the first time I face such opponents. Struggling, I endured, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. And the opportunity soon came when I felt a slight weakening, a sign that my opponent is tiring. Taking a step backward, I spin my body around and forcefully use my shoulder as a lever, and with that, I pulled with all my might.

And with that, I fished out my prey. With a loud splash, a fish the size of a baseball bat soared through the air before it landed on the ground behind me. It flails around as it tries to get back to the water, but I quickly silenced it with a quick smack to its face. It still twitches, so it's not dead, but its weak movement won't be enough to get back to the water. Just in case I move it a distance away from the water's edge, next to the other fish I caught earlier.

That's the second fish in just less than an hour, and they're both quite big. The chilly air and thick mist makes this place quite unnerving, worthy of a horror movie setting, but it sure is a good fishing spot.

_~~~ Flashback to an hour ago_

"_You want me to go catch a fish from the misty lake?" _

"_No, I wanted you to catch dinner from the misty lake"_

"_Uh... okay?" When I finished reading through the chronicle, Hieda-san suddenly approaches me and told me that she wanted fish for dinner. "But why don't you just buy it off the market? It's less hassle that way" _

"_Keine-sensei explained your situation to me. So think of it as a test errand for your new job. You read through the records about the misty lake don't you?" _

"_I did" Though honestly all I remember is the fact that youkai and fairies tends to use that place as a watering hole. And oh yeah, there are monster size fishes that could easily swallow me whole. _

"_Now let's see if you can apply what you learned in real life situation. It's simple right? Catch as many fish as you can before the sun goes down, and then come back here so we can cook them for dinner"_

"_I guess I could do that"_

"_Thank you. I'll let you borrow a fishing rod from my house. Ayane is getting it from the storeroom as we speak" Right as she finishes speaking, the girl in questions reappears from the house carrying a long rod in her hands. The girl handed the rod to her lady, who in turn presented it to me. "It's a slightly worn out old rod, but it should do the job"_

_It's a simple fishing rod made out of bamboo. Attached to one end is a thin string with a simple hook hanging on its end. I can work with this. "Thanks" I take the fishing rod from her._

_~~~ Flashback Ends_

It certainly is a weird request to drop out of the blue. But I'm not complaining. I need some space from Reimu anyway. It's getting a bit tense between us, and I really don't want to start anything in the middle of the village.

I absentmindedly put the bait on the hook before tossing the line back into the water. And as I waited for the fish to take the bait, I let my mind wander about the argument.

The chilly air around the lake helped to cool down my head, and now that I'm no longer irked as I was, I started to think that Reimu is probably not completely wrong. I have been running into trouble quite often ever since I got here, and I guess I might've been troubling her by tackling those problems head on. I admit that some of her argument does make sense, and if I think about it, I guess she was just looking out for me, so there's really no reason for me to get angry at her.

Ugh, I hate to admit this, but I might be the one at the wrong here.

As I ponder on what I should do when I next see Reimu again, the rod suddenly jerked forward. It nearly flew off my hands since I was completely caught off guard. Unable to gain good footing, I am rapidly pulled towards the water's edge when by a stroke of luck, the line suddenly eased up, causing me falling backward onto the wet grass. The fish must've gotten away.

"Dammit" I grunted as I sit backup. I have no one other than my lack of attention to that slip up. Looking at the lake, I find my feet are only inches away from falling into the water.

Feeling rather frustrated, I decided to head back to the village, no longer in the mood for fishing. I already caught two big one, so those should be enough. I pull back on the rod, trying to roll the line back manually. But then I felt a slight tug that prevented me from doing that.

"Hm?" Confused, I gave another light pull, and I once again felt the tugging feeling from the line. But when I eased up on the pull, the line instantly loses all tension. This can only mean that the hook got stuck on something. But the line is not that long, so it shouldn't reach the bottom of the lake to get stuck. Weird...

Not intending to abandon the fishing pole, I slowly pulled the line back, taking step by step away from the lake, just in case I snag something dangerous from the lake like for example a giant fish monster that the book mentioned. I'm not gonna let some overgrown fish eat me for dinner if I can help it.

Inch by inch I pull on the line, and bit by bit, a dark silhouette slowly approaches me amidst the mist. I instantly froze when I saw the silhouette, but then I notice that it's not moving at all, and upon closer inspection it's too small to be a dangerous fish monster.

Of course it could also be a trick, but since it makes no movement at all, I once again resume pulling it closer to the lake shore.

And that's how... I manage to drag a block of ice into lake's edge. It's odd, but not as odd as what's on it. There, sprawled on the ice, snoring lightly and completely unbidden by the cold, is a little girl with... icicles sprouting from her back? That's new.

She looks defenceless as she lay asleep, so I move forward to shake her awake...

"_And what are you? An irresponsible child that keeps acting without thinking? Try using your head a bit more. Gods know how many troubles you'll avoid that way"_

I instantly snapped back as Reimu's voice echoed inside my head.

Dammit... She's right. If I woke her up there's a chance that she'll attack me for interrupting her sleep. And if I get into a fight, then chances are I won't be able to get these fishes back to the village before sun down, which is really soon judging by the reddening sky.

I quietly sigh before I start packing up to get back to the village. Close the bait jar, rolling the fishing line, check to see if both caught fish still twitching where I left them, and then... My eyes landed on the sleeping ice girl. I feel bad to leave her out in the open like this, she might get attacked. So with that thought, I gently use the fishing rod to nudge her sleeping platform back to the lake. It took a few tries, but I manage to send it drifting back into the lake without waking the sleeper.

Anyway, I better head back to the village now. Now how to haul these fishes to the village without smearing their smell all over my clothes?

* * *

><p>Reimu sighed as she watches the cloud move across the reddening sky. She's still hanging around the Hieda house. She was going to leave soon after Shirou left, but then the house owner generously asked if she would join her for dinner. Not one to deny free food, the shrine maiden quickly accepted the invitation. Keine also received the same invitation, but she politely declined, saying that she has some matters that need to be handled before tomorrow.<p>

So now she's trying to kill some time until dinner. And not having anything to do, she did so by leaning back on the veranda, watching the cloud pass by. It's not exactly her favourite pastime activity, so there are more than a few occasions where she wishes that Shirou returns already.

Speaking of the boy, her mind wanders to the argument she had with him. She knows for a fact that she's right; the boy's has taken his new ability for granted. It makes him careless, choosing to stand his ground instead of fleeing in the face of danger. And the way he uses it on Aya, right in the middle of Keine's class. With all the attention he brought to himself, it's no wonder that the tengu is interested at him.

Yeah, she's right. Her concerns are sound and she should have no doubt that the fault lies on him. And yet, now that she had some quiet time to think, she can't help but to admit that perhaps she was a bit too harsh on him. She heard how Marisa recounted the story when she dragged him to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, and even she must admit that his situation wasn't exactly favourable for him to be thinking about future repercussion of his actions. No matter how she looks at it, she can't pin the blame on him for just trying his best.

Letting out a deep sigh, the shrine maiden let her back fall onto the wooden floor. Angry at the boy and herself, her mind starts thinking on her she should talk to him the next time they met. It would be a cold day in hell before she'll apologize to him, but staying angry at him would be counter-productive. Not to mention that she'll just burn herself out by doing that. So what should she do?

* * *

><p>"Ooh... nice catch" One of the servant girl muttered in awe as she and another girl took the two fish away from me. They soon disappear back to the house, I'm guessing to the kitchen. Taking their place is the house master, the young girl with the fancy name, Hieda no Akyu.<p>

"Did you run into any trouble?" She asked me.

I shake my head. "No, thankfully nothing tried to eat me this time around" That's probably because I reek from hauling the fishes. The slippery soon-to-be dinner keeps flailing around in my hand, putting up a last desperate struggle to stay alive, forcing me to hold on to them tightly. I now literally smelled fishy, and damn I stink.

And yet the girl in front of me shows no sign of discomfort from the smell. Even her breathing is normal. "That's good. It would be horrible if you were to be hurt for accepting my selfish request"

She must be a nice person if she could say that to a stranger. In fact, that's the first time I heard someone saying upfront that they worry about my well being ever since I arrive at Gensokyo. It felt nice.

I opened my mouth to reassure her that I'm fine, but then my stomach decided to have a say too.

The girl in front of me almost jumped out of her skin when a loud growl echoed through the area.

I scratched my head embarrassedly as the girl stares at me with wide eyes. "Uh... I just remembered I didn't have anything for lunch..."

I can see mirth instantly spreading across the girl's face, her body shook in barely constrained laughter. "Well then. Allow me to be a gracious host by extending an offer for dinner"

"R-really?" I answered a bit too excitedly before I can catch myself. "I-I mean, I really don't want to be a bother..."

"It's fine. Just think of it as payment for the fishes. The newspaper said you're not picky about the payment for your service, am I right?"

"Well... yeah. I won't say no to food. But are you sure?"

"Of course. I enjoy having company at my home"

"If you're this insistent, then okay, I'll accept your offer"

"I'm glad you did. Now why don't you rest for the moment? I'll have someone call you when dinner is served"

"O-okay? But shouldn't I go home and change first?" I pulled on my shirt to emphasize my point. The cloth is wet and damp from the fishes, and it stinks too.

She looks at my clothes before shaking her head. "Its fine, I'll get you something to wear"

"Really?"

"Yes. Just go wait in the backyard, I'll go get it" The girl said before she walked off, leaving me alone in the front porch.

'Right..." Not knowing what to do, I decided to do what she says and start making my way to the house's backyard. If I remember right, that was the place where I was at when I first arrived at the house. The memory is just past an hour old, so I still have a vivid recollecting on where it at and I easily found the place again.

The moment I arrived, I instantly stopped dead in my track. The reason why I stop is because my eyes spotted a certain shrine maiden who were dozing off in the veranda. The image is exactly the same to what I saw back in the lake, the difference is that this time I know who the sleeping girl is. What is she doing here? I thought she'd left by now. And why is she sleeping?

As I ponder on what I should do, the sleeping girl stirred with a groan before her eyes opened. Tiredly looking around, the girl narrowed her eyes when she saw me. "Shirou... you reek"

Way to be blunt like a hammer blow, but since it's true, there's nothing I can say about it. "Yeah, I know. Why are you still here?"

Reimu covered a yawn with her hand and then stretching her arms upward. "I was invited for dinner and I accepted"

"Somehow I'm not surprised..." I muttered before I can stop myself.

At my rude comment, the shrine maiden gave me a blank look for a few second. I am half ready to run off in case she'll turn violent, but then she let out tired sigh. "So? How did your errand go? Run into any trouble?" She asked me while facing the backyard, only glancing at me from the corner of her eyes.

"No, nothing troublesome happened. But I did fish up a girl sleeping on an ice block"

She turn fully toward me, her trademark frown once again adorned her face as she looks at me. "Oh, her. And what did you do?"

"... I pushed her back to the lake. I figured it would be bad if I wake her"

The shrine maiden seems pleased at my answer as she nodded in approval. "Good to hear you staying out of trouble"

"Like I said, I don't actively look for trouble you know"

With a haughty smirk, she turns back to facing the yard. "Yeah, I heard you first time, but I think I'm just gonna prepare myself for the next time you caused more trouble"

"Right... you do that..."

"Hn..."

Sensing no hostility from her, I sit down on the veranda, letting my legs hanging off the edge. The air around us is no longer tense as before. I no longer feel angry at her. Annoyed yes, but nothing that makes me wants to start a danmaku like earlier. It seems like our earlier arguments has faded away. Actually I was half hoping that she would apologize for earlier, but I better not push my luck there.

"So... we're back to..." I trailed off. Friends? No, that's not right. "What were we again?"

"An unfortunate acquaintance" She said without a second of hesitation.

"That makes one of us sounded like a bad guy. How about neutral acquaintance'"

"Whatever"

"Okay, neutral acquaintance it is" Saying it out loud, I can't help but to start smiling at the surrealism of that term. Oh well, whatever works.

"Sorry for the wait" Hieda no Akyu came out from the house. When she spotted me, she makes her way to me and handed me a small bundle of clothes. Unfurling it, it looks like a traditional Japanese hakama. "Here you go, it's slightly old, but it's wearable and it's clean. There's a washroom over there where you can clean up"

"Oh, thanks"

"Once you've cleaned up, we can start on dinner"

At the mention of dinner, Reimu instantly get up from the floor. "Don't just stand there, get going!"

I got a smart remark to say toward the shrine maiden, but after seeing the fire in her eyes, I decided to take the high road and just do as she says. Gods knows what she'll do if I waited too long.

* * *

><p>Dinner is quite simple, a large serving of rice with grilled fish and miso soup. But damn this is a lot. I know the fish I caught is big, but seeing it in filleted form makes it looks even bigger. And according to Hieda-san, this is only one of the fish I caught; the other one is for the servant's dinner. I have no problem with it, this more than enough.<p>

As we ate, we talked about today's event. My advertisement on the tengu's newspaper is one of the main topics of the conversation. When asked about my experiences with youkai, I recounted the ones I've run into so far, including the most recent one, a girl with ice wings that was sleeping in the middle of the misty lake.

"It sounded like you met the ice fairy" Hieda-san told me when I asked if she knows who the sleeping girl is.

"A fairy?"

"Yes. They're quite common all over Gensokyo. They're simple magic creatures, each representing an aspect of nature"

"Uh-huh..." I nodded as I think back to that girl I met on the lake. So she's an ice fairy, which would explain her ice wings and the fact that she can sleep on an ice block in the middle of the freezing lake. "So they're harmless?"

"In general yes, but the one you met..."

"She would either turn you into an ice block, or failing that, she'll challenge you to a danmaku" Reimu said with a displeased expression on her face."Honestly, when I said to stop asking me questions doesn't mean you should go and ask someone else" She grumbled before stuffing her mouth with more rice.

"Would you prefer me asking the fairy herself?"

Reimu annoyed look intensify as she quickly chew down the food in her mouth before speaking again. "And now you're being stupid again"

"And you're still being bossy" I calmly answered before I bite down on a thick piece of grilled fish, signalling that the conversation is over, for I am now ignoring her. Reimu grumbled at my dismissal, but she soon wordlessly resumes eating again. We were quietly eating when an amused chuckle came from our host.

"I see you two are quite friendly" Hieda no Akyu commented when she notices the stare we're giving her.

Friends? I glanced at Reimu, and she seems puzzled at the comment as well. Sure we're no longer growling at each other like before, but I didn't see how we're friendly. In fact, we were having a small argument just now. Though I have to admit, I'm not particularly annoyed like before, it's more like...a casual banter I guess? Unlike before, I didn't really care whether I'm right or wrong.

"We are?"

"Yes, you two are different from when you first arrived. Did something happen?"

Let me think... We came, we argue, Keine scolded us, I went fishing, I return, run into Reimu, and then we talked. "Nothing happened as far as I remembered"

"Don't know don't care" Reimu said between chewing.

"Hm... all right then" Our host dismissed the issue, though somehow she seems pleased about something."Moving on. Shirou-san, can you fulfil another of my requests?" She asked me.

"Huh? It's already late, can it wait until tomorrow?"

"It won't take much of your time; I just wanted to know more about you"

"Want to know me?" I echoed her words, feeling a bit unsure, and rather self conscious too.

"You're going to put him in the chronicle?"

"Yes, he's a resident of Gensokyo is he not?"

"He is... but don't you think it's too early to put him in? He's only been here for a few weeks"

"And yet he already starts to leave his mark in Gensokyo. I believe it's as good time as any"

"I guess..."

"Excuse me..." I raised my hand that's still holding a chopstick. "Are you saying you wanted to put me in the Gensokyo Chronicle?"

"Yes I am"

Wow... I'm gonna be put in a history book! Or at least the equivalent of one. But yeah, wow... I don't know what to say... though I felt giddy at the prospect. "S-so, people are going to read about me?" I leaned forward on the table, all thoughts about food forgotten.

"Quite possibly yes. Is it okay for you?"

"Sure! So what do you want to know?"

The rest of the dinner is spent with me telling the story of my life to Hieda-san, and by extension Reimu who's still there. My old matron found me abandoned as an infant in front of her doorstep. Finding no trace of whoever left me there, she took me in and raises me, naming me Shirou because she found me in the middle of a snowy night. Growing up among other orphans, I am quick to learn responsibility, from doing chores to taking care of the younger children.

And then, sometime after I turned twelve, I accidentally found out that the orphanage is in the red financially with no sign of improving. Finding out about the matron's plight, I decided to help by finding a job. It proves to be a near impossible task as no one would hire a twelve year old kid. But then I lucked out; a certain nightclub owner seems to have no problem with employing child labour. Apparently he needs help cleaning the place up before it opened and he doesn't mind paying me to help him out with the task.

So after convincing my matron to let me out during the day, promising I'll be back before dark, I started working as a janitor in the night club. Cleaning the place during the day and leaving before the place opened. The pay is decent, and every time I get paid, I gave most of it to the orphanage as a donation, keeping just a bit for myself. This setup manages to bump our financial situation from red to barely breaking even.

During this time, the thought about getting a better job does cross my mind, but funnily, I get rather attached to the club after a few weeks cleaning it. And the boss is not a bad person either, even with the profession that he chooses. He often treats me to lunch after I finish cleaning, he's a good cook believe it or not, and he taught me a lot about 'being manly' as he put it.

Then one day, something happened that changed my status in that club. For the few months I've worked there, the boss ensures that I go home way before the place opened so no one would find out about me. Then one day, while I was cleaning up the tables as usual, the club door opened and a woman came in, I later find out that she's one of the dancers who decided to come in early. Surprised at seeing me, she instantly starts demanding answer from the boss. I remember her panicking about the public's opinion if they find out that a kid was working on a nightclub. She's not sold on the idea at first, not until I explained my situation to her. After that, she begrudgingly accepted me, telling me to come and tell her if the owner make me do anything weird.

After that, the boss told me that rumours of a kid worker is starting to spread among the employees, and for that reason, he decided to introduce me to the rest of the employees, without telling me. So one day when I showed up to work, I find the whole place is filled with people I didn't know off. I almost bolted if not for the boss blocking the exit. After that, he introduces me to the entire club's employee; the bartenders, the cooks, and the girls. They seem to like me, and after that day, some of them decided to show up early just to see me. I found out much later that I became somewhat of a mascot to the club.

Then, two years after I first started to work there, two of the bartenders is moving out of town, hence the club is now a bit lacking on manpower. When he told me about the situation, the boss jokingly suggested that I become a bartender to fill the spot. He sure is surprised when I said okay. One of the bartenders did teach me how to make cocktails and such. After carefully considering it, he decided to let me try if I can get my matron to let me stay out after dark. The club is open at night after all.

And so, I begged my matron to let me do that. She's not happy about it, especially when I said I'll be spending the night outside. So after much futile arguments, I decided to just sneak out. The boss is surprised to see me, admitting that he really didn't expect my matron to let me go. But he didn't pry into it before tossing me to some of the girls, who promptly start fussing over me with make-up and such. So, after putting on the bartender outfit, with enough stuff on my face to mask my real age, I became a bartender.

The matron is not happy when I got back. But seeing that I'm not backing down, she relented, allowing me to do as I please provided I didn't shirk my responsibilities at the orphanage. I did so, though my inner clock becomes messed up because of that.

I work as a bartender for 3 years.

Then a few months after I turn 15, an situation happened on the club, a few rowdy patrons being rough with one of the girls. Normally the boss will take care of it, but he was not there at the time, away on a meeting or something. I rather like the girl; she's very nice to me, so seeing her being mistreated like that, I can't just stand still and do nothing. So when one of the patrons slapped her, I instantly act without thinking.

Before I know it, I've broken a bottle on someone's head, punch someone below the belt, elbowed someone in the throat, and slammed a head onto a table. Oh, and I also have a swollen eye from getting punched. When the haze cleared, I notice the whole club staring at me. So I just excused myself before dragging the unconscious body and tossing them into the back alley. When I got back, to my surprise, the whole club cheered. When the boss finds out, he laughed really loud before making me a bouncer in addition to a bartender, saying a job well done.

My matron didn't share those sentiments. She's not happy when she saw my swollen eyes when I return back to the orphanage. She punishes me by making me do chores all day, giving me little time to sleep on that day. Sadly, that would not be the last time I was punished for getting into fights. But at least my pay went up quite a bit, and because of that, the orphanage no longer have financial troubles.

But then, two years later, about 2 weeks before I turn 17, that incident happened. A group came into the nightclub. To call them rowdy is a massive understatement. So doing my job, I booted them out, leaving them in the back alley where they passed out from over drinking. I found out much later that one of the guys is the city's mayor, the presses have a field day when a reporter found him sleeping in the back alley.

Angered, the mayor looks for someone to blame for the humiliation. When rumours spread that an investigation is being launched onto the nightclub, the boss regretfully cut me off. I don't blame him, with me around his club could be shut down for employing an underage. He promises to hire me back once the heat died down.

But then I find out that the mayor has also been targeting the orphanage for demolitions for years. The moment I turned 17, he drastically cut off the orphanage's funding, saying that since there's now a boy of working age, there's no need to keep funding the place. And just like that, the orphanage finances instantly hit an all time low. Left with not much choice, I decided to leave the orphanage to ensure its survival.

"And after that you get kidnapped by that gap hag and were brought here is that right?" Reimu concluded the story while sipping on her tea. The conversation has long left the dinner table and back to the backyard veranda.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Suddenly getting swallowed by a dark hole in the floor... I'd really appreciate it if she would warn me before doing something like that" I exasperatedly sigh while drinking my own tea. "Seriously, Yukari is such a..." A cold chill suddenly runs through me, in which I take as a sign as to not finish that sentence. "A-anyway... that's about it"

"Yes. I believe that would be enough for now" Hieda no Akyu nodded. Throughout the whole explanation, she didn't do anything besides listening, making me wonder if she really can remember all that in one listen. "I think I've gotten a good understanding of your character. I'll write the beginning of your entry later tonight before I sleep"

"Cool. So when can I see it?"

"Not until I finish. And it might be a while before that happened. I only have the beginning and nothing else. The rest of the page will be filled by what you'll do from now on"

"Oh, fair enough. Not anytime soon then" I felt a bit disappointed, but there's nothing I can do about it. Looking up at the sky, I notice it's already dark outside. The moon is shining brightly in the sky. I've lost track on how long I was recounting my story, but it must be pretty late already. "In that case, I think it's time for me to head home"

"Yeah, me too" Reimu chirped in as she stands up.

"Of course, I thank you both for the company" Hieda-san smiled politely as she straightened her kimono after it gets wrinkled from sitting idly. She accompanied me and Reimu to the front gate of her house. "If you have any questions about Gensokyo, feel free to come back" She told me as she sees us off.

"I'll do that. And thank you again for the dinner, and the clothes. I'll return it tomorrow. Until next time, Hieda-san, Reimu"

"Have a good night"

"Just go already"

"Yeah-yeah" I turn around and start walking off.

* * *

><p>Reimu waited until Shirou disappear from view before she turns to the person next to her."That really wasn't necessary. I could've handled that without your help" She told her.<p>

Hieda no Akyu just smiled. "And I'm sure you would, probably in a less peaceful manner. But since no danmaku bullets are fired, I think it worked pretty well" She sounded proud, and she has every right to be proud. Not many can say that they were able to make the shrine maiden change her mind, and even less manages to do it without danmaku.

Reimu's mouth opened and closed, but nothing came out of her mouth as she fails to find the right word to deny that statement. After a few seconds, she stopped trying and changes the subject while sighing tiredly. "Haah... that guy's seriously keeps getting in my nerves" The shrine maiden tiredly complained. "What was that gap hag thinking when she dumped him to me?"

"I don't know what that youkai was thinking, but I think you're being too hard on him. The black-white is more of a troublemaker compared to him and yet you have no problem with her"

"That's Marisa being Marisa. But he's different"

"Different how?"

"He's my responsibility, so I have to watch over him"

"I see... but maybe that's the problem" Hieda no Akyu answered. At Reimu's questioning look, she explained it further. "You feel this way because you make a conscious effort to keep an eye on him"

"You're saying I should ignore him?"

"I didn't say that. But I do believe that it would be best if you just treat him normally like everyone else, as a resident of Gensokyo"

Reimu eyes narrowed slightly before she turns away from the child of Miare. "... I'm going home. Thanks for the dinner"

"You're welcome. Do come and visit anytime"

"We'll see..." Reimu mumbled before she kicks off the ground and takes off.

Hieda no Akyu watched the shrine maiden flies away with a smile on her face. When the shrine maiden is no longer in sight, she turns around and walks back into her home. The moment she stepped through the gate, she paused for a bit. "I did what you asked"

A small black hole opened just above her gate, in which a certain youkai peeked through. "Indeed, you did well"

"Do you want to tell me what's that all about?"

"Nope, maybe later"

"You know I don't have much of a 'later' right?"

"Precisely why I'll told you 'later'"

"A secret for my grave... my you're incorrigible"

"Fu-fu"

* * *

><p><strong>Day 24-End<strong>

I tried to think of something for Shirou to do, and I ended up coming with the freelancer idea. I think it would suit him, and it'll help me make him interact with Gensokyo a lot easier.

His argument with Reimu also popped in my mind while I was writing. Before I know it, I've written the argument scene and I decided to keep going from there. All in all by the end of this chapter, those two have become more open to each other, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen.

I also must extend an apology if I mess up with the Child of Miare's personality. Hieda no Akyu doesn't have much info outside of the manga, so I'm a bit hard pressed to write her scene.

Review please. The more I get the faster I'll update. Give me 10 reviews for this chapter and I'll promise the next chapter will comes out in less than 2 weeks.

Next chapter: The Bamboo Forest of the Lost.

PS: Some people been asking me about his** Last Word**. Currently I have no plan for that card until the final chapter, and that's a long way off. Should I just tell you the name now? It got an epic name after all.

* * *

><p><strong>Profile Update:<strong>

**Hieda No Akyu**

**Memory of Gensokyo**

Shirou's note: She's gonna write me into history! How awesome is that! Can't wait till I can read what she wrote about me. She also promises to help me with any questions regarding Gensokyo, something I would gladly accepted. I'll visit her again the next time I have some free time.


	9. Day 25: Lost in the Bamboo Forest

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Can't be bothered to type anything here at the moment... I caught a cold, I'm half delirious, and I'm completely tired.**

**Just enjoy the story and please review.**

**Day 25- Lost in the Bamboo Forest of the Lost**

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><p>"... And here's another one" I pull out the bamboo sprout that is sticking out of the ground and toss it into the gathering basket I was given. "This makes twelve... just a bunch more to go" Gods this is so boring! Just what is an old man going to do with all of these?<p>

**_Flashback: Earlier on the Day_**

"_I'm sorry, did you say twenty?!" I asked. _

_The decrepit old man looks annoyed as I repeated his words. "Yes sonny, twenty bamboo shoots. Can you get them for me?" It seems the man from yesterday forgot to mention the existence of this taskmaster I'll be working for. In fact, he and a few others seem to be relieved when I showed up at this large storehouse in the eastern side of the village._

"_... I don't think I can carry that much alone..."_

"_What? Why younglings these days... back when I was your age, I can easily carry twice that much. I'll have you know that they used to call me the ant packer"_

"_Because you can lift objects 50 times your weight?"_

"_No, because I can carry large stacks of stuff and not drop them. But that's beside the point. Anyway, take my old basket over there, fill it full of bamboo shoots, and that's it, you can forget about the twenty shoots thing"_

_I look at the basket the old man was pointing at. When I saw it, my first thought was that the basket is almost as tall as me. "... That thing can hold more than twenty..."_

"_So?"_

**_Flashback Ends_**

_Considering this is my first job as a 'freelancer', I can't be picky about jobs just yet, so I accepted the job. I'm a bit worried about the name of the place though, 'Ba_mboo Forest of the Lost' is a very direct naming, and according to Hieda-san, it's an apt name for the place. When I expressed my concerns about getting lost in the place, she reassured me that if I did, someone should help me find my way out... maybe...

She seems rather unsure at the end, but I took her word for it. Beside, maybe I won't get lost at all...

That wishful thinking is quickly swallowed by reality as I'm just 30 minutes into the forest and I already have no idea which way is which. All the bamboo thickets all around me make finding directions impossible. Wherever I looked, I saw bamboo. I actually started to get a headache from looking at all the bamboo, which is why I decided to stop looking for a way out and just gather the requested bamboo shoots for now.

"Hah... the things I'll do for the elderly..." I put down the basket down before as I start to dig up another bamboo shoot from the ground.

I finish shovelling the dirt around it and was pulling the shoot from the ground when a loud noise echoed through the air.

My hands instantly snapped toward my sword hilt, ready to draw the blade at moment notice. Was that an explosion? Is someone fighting around here? I tried to figure out the direction the explosion was coming from, but I was unable to do so as the rustling bamboo trees make it very hard to pinpoint the origin of the explosion.

But then another series of loud noises shook the forest, and with it, I manage to get a general direction of the source. It seems to be coming from my right, and it sounded pretty far from here so I should be safe...

The ground shook as another round of explosions rocked the area; this one rang much closer to my direction. Okay, time to get out of here.

I toss the bamboo shoot into the basket and start dragging the basket away from the sound of fighting. The basket is starting to weight a fair bit, having been filed half full, so I am not moving as fast as I can even with the sound of enclosing explosions that are rapidly getting nearer and nearer.

Should I just leave the shoots and come back later when the course is clear? But I might not be able to find it again if I leave it here.

What should I do?

I unconsciously slow down while I was thinking, but before I realize it, a ground shaking explosion echoed through the area and a number of bamboo trees starts to fall. Turning around to look at the direction of the sound, I only have time to catch a glimpse of pink before something slammed right onto me.

Acting on instinct, I caught the flying object, but the force of impact sends me crashing into the basket, toppling it and sending its contents scattered all over the ground. It would be a pain to pick up those bamboo shoots again, but that's the least of my worries at the moment, my attention is completely on the person that I just caught.

This person, a she judging by her lithe frame, is groaning in pain as she lies in my arms, and I can't blame her, she looks like she just went through hell. Her expensive looking kimono is torn all over the place and some spots are burnt off for some reason and her long hair is covered in dirt, blood, and soot. I can't see her face from this angle, but I can hear her breathing in pain, so she's still alive.

"Are you okay?" Right after I asked the question, I instantly felt stupid. She clearly does not seem okay.

But then, at my voice, the injured girl quickly pushes herself away from me. Disregarding her injuries, she quickly stands up before she turns towards me.

The moment I gaze on her face, my mind nearly comes to a halt. Her face, even with the dirt and blood covering it, is a picture of immaculate beauty. I felt that calling her the most beautiful person on earth is probably the understatement of the ages. She's just that beautiful.

That perfect face frowned when she saw me. "You... what are you doing here?" She asked rather harshly.

I was still mesmerized by her beauty, but the urgent tone of her voice is just enough to snap me back to reality. "Uh... I was... gathering bamboo shoot..." I weakly answered.

"Not the best time, go away"

"But you're injured. Should I go get help?"

The girl shook her head. "Don't bother, I heal fast..."

"Kaguya!" A silver haired girl burst through a dense bamboo thicket.

"... and annoyingly so does she" She casually flicked her long flowing hair over her shoulder as she turns toward the new girl.

At time like this I would try to help the injured party... but...the problem is...there's a very bloody splotch on the silver haired girl chest. In fact... if I squint closer, I can see that there's a bloody hole right on her chest, right over her lungs.

"Mokou... I was hoping you'd be chocking on your blood a little bit longer" She smugly told the new girl.

The other girl's eyes bristle in rage as roaring wings of flames sprout from her back. "I'll burn you to ashes!"

Uh-oh.

I quickly run away from where I was standing behind the black haired girl. The following heat wave that soon follows told me that I made the right decision. I don't have to look back to know that the place I was standing was completely incinerated

The black haired girl is also safe as she hovered on air, away from the burning ground. "As much I would enjoy killing you again, we have a stray passerby over there" She told the other girl while pointing towards me.

The silver haired girl looks at me as if she just notices me for the time. "Hrmph"

Ouch, if looks could kill I'd be dead at least ten times over. I'm sorry for being here! Please stop looking at me like that!

"Fine... I'll call it off for now..." The flaming wings on her back died down. "Right after I kill you!" And the flaming wings are back once again, much brighter than before, and much hotter too most likely.

The other girl smiled smugly as dozens of bullets appeared all around her. "What a brutish answer... I've expected no less of you"

And right after that, the air is filled with wheezing bullets and scorching flames.

Aw man... can't you two just call it quit please? And killing? She's just joking right?

"Gah!" Okay... The flaming girl's hand just got blown off by a bullet from the other girl...I guess they really are serious about killing each other... Crap, I'm so gonna die.

Okay... calm down... freaking out about blown body parts won't help me survive this... just think of this as a danmaku... ignore the gory bits... just a brutal and bloody danmaku... with bullets that could blow body parts into pieces...

"KAGUYA!"A flock of firebirds swarmed the other girl. She evaded some of them, but a few managed to hit her, scorching her clothes and the flesh underneath them... and apparently her bones too if what I'm seeing is right.

The fire did not discourage the black haired girl, instead it seemed to anger her even more. "MOKOU!" And she counters with another volley of bullets and laser beams.

Whoa! You're not supposed to fire in this direction! Hit the deck!

I ducked just in time as a number of pinkish bullets flew over my head, slamming into the nearby bamboo thicket, easily obliterating the area in a burst of explosions. The bullet explosion tore the area just a few feet away from where I was standing and I have to run away as a wave of bamboo trees that were blown off starts to rain down on the area.

Oh man... I think I prefer taking on a dozen of youkai than being here right now... Ack! Incoming!

I quickly move again as fiery embers starts to rain from the sky. The grass it touched didn't stand a chance... it didn't burn; it just... burnt... like it skip the burning process and went straight to the burnt state...

I won't last a second if I got hit by those flames...

... And let's not forget the bullets too.

With how eager they are at killing each other, I won't be surprised if those two actually forget about me being here. I'm actually surprised I haven't got hurt yet. Maybe I should copy one of them just in case. If I'm lucky, I might copy whatever it is that makes them heal so fast. Then again, with all the bullets and flames in the air I might have already copied one of them. But the question is, which one?

As I was pondering, a soccer ball size bullet landed in front of me before exploding violently. Caught in the blast wave, I was sent stumbling back by a few steps, head a bit dizzy from the loud blast.

"Watch out!"

"Out of the way!"

Huh?

I look up at the warnings.

Only to come face to face with a giant spiralling fireball.

* * *

><p>The lunarian princess couldn't help but to wince as she saw the young human get blown back by the exploding fireball. Thankfully he managed to move out from a direct hit from the phoenix's fire, so he should still be alive.<p>

And then the human crashed right onto a bamboo thicket which then promptly crashed and buried him under it. Okay, he's probably fine.

But then a tiny spark of the phoenix's flame landed on the collapsed bamboo trees, instantly igniting a great blaze of fire.

"As much as I wanted to resume our fight, I believe we should end it for now" She regretfully said to the other girl. A shame really, she was looking forward to destroy her opponent's heart one more time.

The phoenix seems even less eager to end their fight. "Why should we? It's just one human, no one would miss him"

"True, one simple human is nothing" She drawled out. She's going to enjoy watching her opponent's reaction with her next choice of words. "But Inaba told me that this particular human is quite special. In fact, I heard he made fast friends with that school teacher"

The princess can barely suppress a triumphant smirk when she saw the way her opponent's face blanched before her flame wings disperse with all the flames in the surrounding area instantly follow suit. Glancing at the burned trees where the human was buried, she notices that the flame still haven't burned through to the human just yet, so he might still be alive.

"Good girl. Now dig him out will you?"

"Why should I?"

"You don't want to? I wonder what that school teacher will think if she heard that you refused to help her friend"

"Urgh..." The silver haired girl reluctantly flew down before she starts digging through the charred bamboo for the human.

This time the lunarian princess cannot stop a triumphant smirk from appearing on her face. The way the phoenix obediently follows her command is just too hilarious. This is one victory that she will savour for years to come.

She also begrudgingly admits that she owes this sweet victory to this human; now let's see if she can make it even by saving his life. Surely her fellow lunarian can do that with ease provided that he's still alive. If he did die... oh well.

With that in mind, she curiously waited for the phoenix to dig him. When the silver haired girl pulls out a limp body from the charred trees, she inwardly sighed, believing the human to be dead. But then she saw the relief on her enemy's face, which speaks volumes on the human's condition.

What do you know, he's alive. That's good. It would be a shame for the Gensokyo Freelancer to lose his life before she can have a chat with him. Surely he'd have a lot of interesting stories to share. She's looking forward to having a conversation with him.

* * *

><p>I awoke amidst a numb feeling all over my body.<p>

Uh... what happened...?

My eyelids are heavy, but I force them open. The sight that greeted me is an unfamiliar ceiling. I'm not in the forest anymore. Where is this? How did I get here? How long was I knocked out? And why the heck am I wearing a dress?!

I racked my memories.

It's a bit hazy, but I remember an erupting fireball, a massive heat draft... me crashing right through a thicket of bamboo trees... then the pain, my body was battered by the hard bamboo trees... blood... my blood... and then scorching heat... followed by darkness.

I shudder from the ghost pain.

Right... so... I'm probably in a hospital or something similar... which make the... thing I am wearing as some form of a hospital gown... I think. Just how long have I've been here? Where is here? And where's my shirt?

I roll myself out of the futon...

And I quickly felt the force of gravity taking hold of me as I fall into the floor.

"Ow..." Correction, I wasn't laying on a futon. I was lying on a bed. So I just rolled off the bed straight into the cold wooden floor.

As I groggily pick myself up from the floor, the door on my right opened and a lady with white hair entered the room. The whiteness of her hair nearly makes me mistakes her age, but then I notice how young she looks. "Ah, I see that you've regained consciousness" Her youthful voice also does not belong to an elderly. "Udonge, would you kindly help him get back on the bed?"

"Of course master"

Another girl entered my field of vision, a bunny girl to be exact, just like the one from my old job. Except that I don't think this one dresses as a bunny girl on purpose. For one, compared to the 'bunny girls' that I know, she's exposing much less skin than them, wearing a modest buttoned-up white shirt and a purple skirt.

Her long rumpled ears twitched as I stare at them,

"Lean on me" She told me while crouching beside me. Taking her offer, I did what she said, leaning on her to push my surprisingly unresponsive body up from the floor. With some effort, I manage to stand back up again, but that is a short lived victory as my weak legs instantly gave way once again. Fortunately the bunny girl is quick with the assist, catching me just as I stumble and quickly move me to the bed.

"Thanks" I told the bunny girl.

Said bunny girl just nodded in reply, already looking somewhere else on the foot of my bed. I tried sitting back up again, but annoyingly my arms are also unresponsive and I fall flat onto the bed.

"Settle down, the numbness is a side effect from the pain killer I administered. You'll regain full mobility once it wears off" The braided hair lady told me before she sits down on my bedside. "So numbness aside, how are you feeling Shirou? Do you feel any lingering pain? Aching head? Breathing difficulty?"

"I think I'm fine" I am certain that I don't feel any of those things she just listed. "How long was I out? And how do you know my name?"

The lady shook her head. "It's just past noon on the same day you were brought here, so you're only out for one or two hours. As for how I know of you, well, news and gossip tends to travel quite fast here in Eientei"

"You mean..."

"A certain rabbit here is quite up to date with the tengu newspaper. It didn't take long for her to recognize the latest newcomer on Gensokyo"

Hah... I should've expected that, stupid newspaper. I don't know whether I should be happy or annoyed at my newfound fame.

"I must say, never would've imagine our first meeting to be like this. Your arrival here caused quite the stir. It's not every day we received a patient with so much blood loss"

"Blood loss...?"

"I see you don't remember. Not surprising, must be the shock from the trauma" The lady placed a hand over my head and a finger on my neck. I'm guessing she's checking my pulse.

"Just how bad was I?"

"Let's put it this way. When I first laid my eyes on you, I was sure that you're dead"

I winced at the bluntness of that statement. "Please don't kill me off like that. I'm still alive aren't I?"

The lady nodded while lifting my right arm up and down. I winced at the soreness from the moving joint, but it's nothing too bad. Seemingly satisfied with my reaction, she let go of my arm, letting it drop to my side. "Yes, you're fine. In fact, you've been fine ever since you were laid in my pharmacy" She commented as she moves to do the same motion to my other arm.

"What do you mean?"

"When you first brought here, there were enough blood on you to drench the sheets; we actually had to change them at one point. But after we clean up those bloods, we found absolutely nothing wrong with you. No wounds, cuts, scrapes, bruises, absolutely nothing to suggest you were even injured in the first place"

"I was fine?"

"Indeed, you're the definition of a healthy human boy"

"Okay?"

Done with whatever she was checking on my body, the lady step in front of me once again and looks at me real closely. "So then Shirou-san... cares to explain?"

"...What makes you think I know what happened?"

"Because you're the infamous Gensokyo freelancer. The only 'normal' human that has somehow managed to defeated a number of youkai by himself. A walking incident that the Hakurei shrine maiden herself has overlooked. It's hard to believe that you know nothing about this"

Uh... she got me there.

If I have to guess... the stray bullets from the two fighting girls is enough for me to copy them. And from what happen... I'd say my body copied their rapid healing ability, which would explain how I am completely fine.

... I might've been dead if it wasn't for that ability.

"Judging by your expression, I'd say you know exactly what happened. Would you care to enlighten us?"

"Um... It's a long and complicated story... and I don't really want to bother you with it"

"It won't be a bother at all. I got some free time until dinner, and I don't mind complicated"

"It's really-really complicated?"

"I'm sure it is. Hence why I'm waiting for your story" She then turned around to the bunny girl and hold up her hand open to her. The bunny girl stare at it for a second before realization lit on her face and she proceeded to take two think piece of papers and gave them to her. The lady hold the cards up for me and to my annoyance, she's holding both my spell cards in her hands. "Well? I suggest you start from the beginning"

"Uu..."

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><p>I ended up telling the lady and the bunny girl everything I know about my abilities, specifically the copying part. The lady is very inquisitive and very good at pushing for the finer details. Whenever I tried to evade a subject or steer clear from a topic, the lady would hammer me with facts and evidence and start theorizing her own conclusions, which were often surprisingly close to the truth.<p>

By the end I pretty much told her everything about my abilities, bar the cause.

The lady leaned back on her chair after taking in my story. "Well... that's quite the story. You should be thankful for your unique ability. I don't think we would be talking now if it wasn't for it"

"I guess?"

"What are the limitations of this ability? Have you experimented with it?"

"Um..."

"I take that as a no. It's a shame to not fully utilize such an interesting gift. But for such a controversial ability, perhaps that kind of outlook is for the best. One must wonder if that gap youkai chooses you specifically because of your simplistic mindset"

"Uu..." I think I should be annoyed at this point, but she did helped me out just now, so I shouldn't get irritated at her, even after she just called me simple minded. Beside, being simple is not always a bad thing. But wait a second, "Wait, how did you know it was Yukari's fault?"

"She's the most likely suspect, so I just guessed. You just confirmed it for me"

"...Oh. Um... well don't I feel stupid"

"Simplistic indeed" The lady smiled in triumph. "Udonge, would you please check on Tewi? See if she finished cleaning his clothes yet"

"Of course master" Oh? The bunny girl spoke up. She hasn't said anything throughout the whole thing that I kind of forget about her even though she was standing there all this time

The bunny girl glanced towards me before she wordlessly left the room.

At the silent treatment, I got to wonder, "Did I offend her or something?"

"What makes you think so?"

"For one she's been keeping her distance from me"

"No, that's how Udonge is. She's just trying to ensure that you did not make eye contact with her. Humans tends to react poorly when they gaze onto her eyes"

"What'll happen?"

"They'll go mad" She bluntly stated.

For a second I thought she was just joking, but then I realize there's no humour in her tone. "... Seriously?"

"Nah, that's just a silly rumour that's been going around. Still, I would highly advise you to not look her at her in the eyes"

"I'll keep that in mind" Eyes that make people lost their mind? I've heard about how people lose their mind because of what they see... but those cases are just figuratively, never literally. I can't help but to wonder what kind of eyes can induce such effects; are her eyes are that scary? Maybe she got some kind of scary bug mutated eyes? Or maybe a dark void gaze that absorb the soul of people that gazes on to them? Or maybe they're just a hypnotic, like those magicians I saw on TV once.

As my mind is throwing random suggestion at me, the lady appeared on my vision once again as she pulled a blanket over me. "The pain killers will wear off within the hour, so try to rest till then. I'll give you one quick check over when it does and if there are no complications you're free to go"

"Okay" I watch her cover me with the blanket. The warmth is a good comfort to my numb body, so I'm not going to complain."By the way... who might you be?"

The lady smiled in amusement at my question. "About time you asked. Did you always take kindness from stranger without asking?"

"Uu..."

She covered her mouth to suppress her amused chuckle at my embarrassment. "My name is Eirin Yagokoro. I'm a pharmacist here at Eientei"

"Eientei?"

"It is the name of house where you're resting at the moment. It's located deep within the bamboo forest of the lost"

"In the... you must've not get many visitor then"

"Quite true. Now try to get some rest"

"... Okay, doc"

"Heh, good boy"

* * *

><p>I don't know when, but I must've fallen asleep sometimes ago. Slowly waking up, I opened my eyes to once again be greeted by the same unfamiliar ceiling for the second time.<p>

"!" I heard a tiny yelp from somewhere on the ceiling.

Following the voice, I turn my gaze slightly to the left, just in time to see one of the ceiling tile slid close. What was that? A ninja or something? Was he or she watching me sleep? Bewildered, I scrambled up from the bed, only to once again fall off it. The wooden floor rattled as I landed shoulder first to the floor.

"Ow..." I groaned while sitting up on the floor.

"Awake already? That was slightly faster than I anticipated" I heard Eirin talking. Following her voice, I found her sitting on a wooden swivel chair next to a desk while holding a small vial containing some unknown red liquid. Putting down the vial, she gets up from the chair and walks towards me. "How do you feel? Is there anything out of the ordinary?"

"Hm..." Remembering my previous weakness from earlier, I carefully tried to stand up. To my relief, my body is much more responsive this time around, and I have no problem moving my body; I didn't even felt any hint of discomfort. I did a few light stretches to double check my body condition and I felt no problems at all. "I'm good" I answered to Eirin.

"I see" She muttered while taking my wrist with her left hand and placing her right hand on my chest. She holds them there for a few seconds before she moves her left hand to my eye and uses it to hold my right eye open wide while she peers into it. "Well, I believe you are fine indeed, but just in case maybe I should did a more in-depth examination" She said while backing off and moving to the nearby cabinet.

What she takes out from the shelves makes my legs feels weak making me fall back into the bed. "I-I'm fine. Honest. There's really no need to do anything"

"Oh? And are you an experienced medical practitioner to make such assumption?" The good doctor is now approaching me back, but this time she's armed.

My eyes keep watch on the pointy tip of her weapon as I tried to scramble away from her. "It's my body I know it best right?"

"No you don't" She shot down my theory without missing a beat.

Now that her weapon is nearing striking distance, I wildly look around the room for a way out. I found none, but I saw my spell cards lying on the bedside table. But before I can act on my discovery, the good doctor suddenly darted towards me. Not having time to get to my spell cards, I fling myself backward to avoid her weapon strike, my back landed roughly on the bed once again.

I tried to scramble away, but then I found myself unable to as the good doctor has pinned me down with her body. I tried to struggle free of her, but she's much stronger than she looks. "Just relax, and this'll be over before you know it"

"Aw come on, I really don't like needles!" I can feel cold sweat falling down my face as I watch the sharp tip of the needle nearing my skin.

"I notice. Now be still!" And without giving me time to say anything back, she plunged the needle into my arm.

At the prickling pain, my whole body instantly tensed up, and I would've screamed if I didn't clench my teeth.

"I said relax! If you keep tensing up the needle might break inside you and I'll have to dig it out before redoing the whole process again"

Taking deep breaths to control my fear and while whining tearfully, I force my body to calm down. As soon as my body eased up, I can feel a slight tugging from where Eirin inserted the needle. Glancing toward it, I can see the syringe slowly filling up with my blood. When the syringe is full, Eirin swiftly remove the needle out of my arm before covering the pierced skin with a damp cotton ball.

"There we go, not so bad was it?"

I'm still too shaken to give her an audible answer, so I just let out a whimper.

I spend the next minutes just recovering in the end while Eirin returns to her desk, doing something that I cannot see from where I am. Hence, the room lapsed into silence, not a single word is uttered; at least not until a door opened and a pair of bunny ears and their owners entered the room.

"Master, I'm coming in "The same bunny girl from earlier has returned. In her hands are my clothes, neatly folded. She also got my sword, still sheathed off course along with her. "Sorry I took so long. Tewi was nowhere to be found so I had to do the laundry by myself"

"Thank you Udonge. Shirou, you heard her, can you change by yourself or should Udonge help you change?"

"I can change by myself thank you very much!"

"There's no need to be embarrassed. She already saw you naked when she was changing your clothes earlier" Aren't doctors supposed to know the meaning of the word 'tact'? Really, how insensitive can you be to your patient's needs? And comfort? And feelings?

"... Can I have my clothes back?"

"Y-yeah. Here" The bunny—I mean, rabbit, handed the pile of clothes to me. She's still not looking at me, but judging by her drooping ears, I think she's also embarrassed by Eirin's comment as well.

Just how much did she see anyway?

... Actually, let's not dwell on that thought.

"Thank you. Is there any place where I can change?"

"Just do it here" Eirin replied without even turning around from her desk.

"... Nothing ever faze you does it?"

"Seen one seen them all. And believe me; I've seen plenty throughout my time as a medical practitioner"

I'm not even going to try to object that one. "Right... I'll just change over there then. Could you please turn around um... bunny-san?"

"R-right..." She deftly turns around and faces the wall.

I glance around the room, and seeing no one looking at my direction, I proceed to change my clothes. Or so I would've if I didn't remember about the moving ceiling from earlier and checked the ceiling. I quickly spotted a small crack between the ceiling tiles once again, and between them, is a pair of unblinking eyes that are staring at me.

"Um... can you look away too? Please?"

The peeping eyes blinked before the ceiling tile hides them from view. But then another tile from the ceiling moved, this time leaving a large enough gap for someone to squeeze between them. And someone really did fall between the gap, nimbly landing in front of me.

It's another bunny girl. Based on appearance she seems to be quite young, but appearance can be deceiving; that oni, Suika is a prime example for me to not judge someone's age by their childlike body. "How can I say no when you ask so nicely" Her fluffy bunny ears playfully flapped complementing her witty smirk.

"You're that newcomer that been beating up those rowdy youkais right? Good job. Lots of rabbits are grateful for what you did"

"You're welcome? I guess? Now could you..."

I stop talking when the other bunny girl jumped in front of me. "Tewi!? How long have you been hiding there?"

"For a while. Just after you start doing the laundry"

"You were there? Then why didn't you help me with his clothes?"

"You're not really expecting me to touch all that blood do you? It's gross"

"Tewi...!"

"You're too strict Reisen, why don't you ease up a bit" She said with a wicked smile on her face. Before anyone can react, the little bunny has dashed forward, right into the taller rabbit. When it looks like she's going to crash into her, the small rabbit uses her short stature to slip between the taller one's legs and then...

"!" The taller rabbit yelped in embarrassment when the smaller rabbit yanked her skirt upward. The smaller rabbit then run past me and came to a stop behind me as she uses me as a hiding spot from the other rabbit. I didn't react to it as I'm currently having a mental debate deep in my subconscious.

It's white...

Stop it! Staring is rude!

But it's not my fault, so I shouldn't feel guilty.

That's enough viewing already! Now get your head out of the gutter!

That's not the gutter! There is more skin shown back at the club!

Does that give you the right to invade her privacy?

Tch. Fine... Dammit, why am I such a nice person?

Done with my inner quarrel, I tore my eyes from the fluttering skirts. Quite the sight though; doubt it'll leave my mind anytime soon.

As if she's reading my thought, the bunny girl turned towards me. "Did you see...?"

I can see a faint glimmer of red on her face before I remembered Eirin's warning about her eyes and quickly switch my gaze from her face to the wooden floor. "No I didn't!" I lied.

"He lied" Eirin said from her desk.

At the accusation, I turn towards her, only to find her still working away in her desk. "How could you say that? You're not even looking"

"Years of experience" She replied without missing a beat.

"... Just go back doing whatever you were doing... please..." The good doctor did just that. Actually, I think she didn't even stop doing whatever she's doing just now when she was chastising me. Turning my attention back to the bunny girl, I saw her standing sideways in front of me.

"..." I didn't have to look at her eyes to know she's unhappy to be seen. The thin line formed on her mouth is enough hints to her displeasure.

"In my defense, that wasn't intentional"

Then from behind me, the small rabbit peeked her head. "Oh my, Reisen's been seen by a boy. How daring" The rabbit teased the other rabbit. "It's only white though... why can't you wear something more risqué?"

"TEWI!" Screaming in embarrassment and rage, the tall rabbit dashed towards the smaller rabbit that is hiding behind me. When I notice her face fully turned towards me, I quickly look upward to avoid looking at her eyes.

"Ha-ha, you can't catch me~~" I heard the small rabbit taunted the taller one. I don't have to look to know that she's being chased by the other bunny. The chase ensues for a good minute before I heard the door opened once again and the sound of footsteps running away across the hall. "Too slow as always!" Her voice can be heard from outside the room.

"Get back here!" The taller rabbit yells before chasing the smaller one outside.

Hearing the footsteps heading away from me, I levelled my gaze downward again, finding that the bunnies has vacated the area, leaving just me and Eirin left in the room.

"You still haven't changed yet?" She seems completely unfazed by what just happened. I guess this kind of stuff happens quite often then?

"Just give me a minute. No peeking please"

"Won't even think about it" The good doctor told me with a disinterested voice.

Well, it doesn't seem like she'll actually look, so I'll just change then. Taking one last look at the lady who's still toiling away on her desk, I began to change. Because there's the presence of the opposite sex in the room I rushed the changing process a bit, so in less than a minute the hospital gown is already lying on the bed and I'm back wearing my clothes.

Strapping my sword over my shoulder, I take a look at myself on the nearby mirror. The right sleeve of my shirt is noticeably singed, but it sure felt good to be back in my own clothes. It's much more comfortable than those drafty hospital gowns.

"All right, you're good to go" Eirin told me just as I folded away the hospital gown. I don't know when but her chair is turned around so she's looking straight at me. "Before you leave though, our princess has expressed her wishes to see you"

"Princess? And she wants to see me? Why?"

"Her first meeting with you went poorly, and the princess would like to rectify it if you'd allow her to"

A poor first meeting? If she meant my meeting with those two girls who were killing each other, then 'poorly' is such an understated choice of words; I was nearly or did get blown up! Princess or no princess, those two nearly killed me!

Then again, I was also at fault for lingering around them for too long. Since I share some of the fault, I can't just blame the accidents on those two entirely, so if one of the wishes to start fresh, there's no reason to refuse her. "I have no problem with that. But I can't stay for long though, I still have stuff that I need to do before the day ends" Namely the bamboo shoots gathering. Not only I was delayed by the untimely interruption, I also lost the basket. It's quite the set back.

"... Let's have you see the princess first and we'll see how it goes from there"

"Okay then. So? Where is she?"

"I'll take you to her" Standing up, the good doctor opened the door leading outside and motion for me to follow.

Leaving the pharmacy behind, I follow Eirin as she leads me across a large traditional Japanese house. The place is not as lavish as the ghost lady's mansion, but it certainly got a much more homey feeling. Surprisingly though, this place is much bigger than I expected; long hallways stretches far and wide across the house, surprisingly with no end in sight. There are long hallways waiting beyond every corner of the house.

Along these long hallways are many rooms. A number of them have their sliding door ajar, so I curiously peeked inside as we pass them. Interestingly, all the rooms I saw are very simple with very basic furnishing, consisting of a small table and a pair of futon. There are a few tidbits here and there, but that's it. Wonder who uses these rooms? Just how many people live in this place?

As I curiously let my mind wonder, Eirin stopped in front of one of the rooms. "Kaguya? Are you in?" She called out. We waited for a bit after that, but it soon became clear that no reply will be coming from inside. Eirin opened the door slightly to take a peek inside, and she soon closes it again before shaking her head. "It seems she's not in her room. This complicates things"

"How so?"

"Hm... looking for someone in Eientei can take some time. The place is quite big after all"

I noticed that. The place seems to keep on going with no end in sight. "How big is Eientei?"

"It can go all the way to the moon"

"M-moon? As in... The moon?"

"What else?" Eirin smirked. She must be enjoying this situation much more than I do. "Well Shirou? Up for a trip to the moon?"

"I think I'll pass... It's a long walk... not to mention there's no air on the moon..." At my excuses, Eirin stare at me strangely before she starts laughing. "W-what?"

"Heh, humans and their misconception... Anyway, shall we resume searching for the princess? Maybe she's at the veranda..." She mumbled before she turn around and start walking again.

I on the other hand am rooted in spot as I tried to analyse what she just said. Misconception? About the moon? The heck? Did she mean what I think she means? My thoughts are running a mile per second before I snap out of it and chases after the retreating doctor. "Hey wait! What do you mean by that!?"

* * *

><p>To my chagrin, Eirin stayed tight lipped about the moon. I tried asking questions about it, but she downright refuses to say anything. When I told her that people see the moon as a cold and dark place, she nearly burst out laughing. Now I'm really curious! Just what is the moon like?! I would like to press Eirin about this further, but I don't want to annoy her with too much incessant begging, I know I would be annoyed if someone keeps asking me questions that I don't want to answer. So with that, I reluctantly give up on the thought, for now at least.<p>

For now I'll just prepare myself for the meeting with this princess. Speaking of which, where is she? We've been walking for a while now and there's still no sign of her. Though Eirin seems to know her way around the house, she seems to have no idea where her princess is at. And honestly, I'm starting to get sick of seeing the same long hallway over and over again.

Lost in boredom, I followed Eirin around a corner for the umpteenth time when suddenly...

"Umph" Something rammed into me. The person bounced off me but I managed to catch her before she falls to the floor. "Hey watch where you going... oh, it's you" It's the same bunny from earlier, her ears twitched as she looks up towards me.

"Tewi, have you seen the princess anywhere?" Eirin asked the bunny.

"I think she's outside at the yard. Why? Are you taking him to see her?" The little bunny seems interested as she curiously glances at me.

"That's the idea"

"Uh-huh... this ought to be interesting. Mind if I tag along?"

"You're going to follow no matter what I say anyway. C'mon you, time for you to meet our princess" She starts walking again, clearly expecting me to follow her. Who am I to say no? I follow her brisk pace, walking through the long wooden hallway once again. This time though, another pair of feet is accompanying us. For reason of her own, the small bunny is trotting along with us.

Not having anything better to do, I decided to try talking to her. "So where's that other bunny? Wasn't she chasing you?"

At my question, the bunny jumps up and smacked the back of my head. "I'm a rabbit! You got that!? Bunnies sounded fragile and weak, kinda cute though... but rabbit still sounds better"

As I rub the sore spot on my head, I can't help but to wonder what's the difference between the two. Rabbit and bunnies are the same thing right? But then again, it is her racial right's to choose what sounded better...

Got to wonder if all bunnies—I mean rabbits feel the same...

"Okay, will do rabbit-san"

"No-no. Rabbit-san won't do. It's Tewi, Inaba. But just Tewi is fine. As for Reisen... I left her in a hole somewhere in the forest"

Reisen? I'm guessing that's the other bunny—I mean rabbit's name. "In a hole?"

"Yeah, not the first time she fell into one, don't worry about her"

"She fell into a hole? And she's a rabbit...?"

"Eh, she just ran into some bad luck" Tewi grinned mischievously.

Bad luck makes you fall into a hole? There's got to be something I'm not getting here...

"Ah, there she is"

Eirin's voice cut through my musing.

Turning my gaze from the little rabbit, I look ahead, and true enough, there sitting in the veranda, staring into the setting sunset, was the same girl from before. Compared from before, her tattered kimono has been replaced with new ones and her long flowing hair is washed clean without a speck of dirt on it.

So serene, her sitting there as the last light of the day illuminates her figure...

... It's like watching a doll.

"Good luck-usa"

I look to where Tewi was standing only to find... nothing. Where did she go? Did she run away? But she was standing next to me, so how could I not notice her sneaking away?

"Kaguya-sama, our guest is awake"

At Eirin's announcement the girl in the kimono turns toward us. When I got a clear look at her face, I could've sworn my heart skip a beat.

"Eirin. Then..."

Her gaze falls on me. And then she smiles.

Uwah, her smile is... um... What's the word... bedazzling? I'm not one for using fancy words, but damn, that is one very pretty smile.

"You're... Shirou-san is it? It's a pleasure to meet you, my name's Kaguya Houraisan" She introduces herself. Hearing her voice as she talks to me makes my head swoon. "I'm so grateful seeing you're back in your feet, looking no worse to wear. Eirin's medicine is as impressive as usual"

"Y-yeah... I guess so..."

"Please have a seat, join me for some tea while we wait for dinner. The inaba's will have it ready soon and you're welcome to join if you wish"

"I... uh..."For some reason I am very eager to say yes. In fact I was actually going to do so but I somehow manage to wrest just enough willpower to say otherwise. "It's a very tempting offer, but I'm afraid I must... decline... maybe next time?"

I was expecting this princess to be offended that I have just turned her down, but she only seemed mildly surprised before she nodded. "It is no trouble at all, although I must admit that I am slightly disappointed to not be able to have a chat with the infamous Gensokyo freelancer" She pouted. And by the Gods that pout is overwhelmingly cute! I should just take her offer and stay a bit longer in here, surely that old man won't mind me delaying the delivery for a day or two...

"Maybe I can just... wait no. I can't... I, Uh... If you'd like I can come back here again tomorrow,"

"No, it is fine. It would be ill-mannered of me to intervene with your busy schedule. There's no rush. But I do pray that our next meeting would be in a much nicer note than our first one"

"Ahaha... but that one is certainly memorable. It's not every day I get saved by a pretty girl that nearly killed me" Almost instantly I regretted saying such a lame line, but then again, that's exactly what my old boss would say in this situation. Dammit boss! Why did you have to be the one to teach me about girls?! Your way is too old school and incredible corny! Stupid-Stupid-Stupid!

I was mentally berating myself and the boss when I heard laughter. Two sources of laughter in fact, one is the princess and the other is Eirin. If I listened closely I can also hear a third laughter from inside the house. Is what I said even lamer than I thought? Dammit boss!

While I was considering digging a hole to bury myself in, the princess speaks again. "I had many men trying to vie for my affection, but that is indeed the first time I've heard such words being uttered to me. It amuses me"

"Thanks? I think..."

As I ponder on whether that was a good thing or not, the other rabbit from before appeared from the house. The one that Eirin said has madness inducing eyes, when she saw me standing nearby, she quickly shied her gaze away to the floor. "Excuse the interruption, but the others asked me to tell you that dinner will be ready soon"

"Thank you Udonge" Eirin nodded before she turned a questioning look at me. "Well Shirou? Are you sure you don't want to join us for dinner? Surely it would not take much of your time"

"... I'm sure. The road after dark is dangerous so I need to be going soon" Looking at the orange sky, it won't be long before it'll become dark. When it's dark I'll have a harder time finding my way out of the forest, not to mention making it easier for youkai to sneak up on me. "I don't like refusing free food...but it's better than being food myself"

"True-true, very smart thinking human"

I turned to my left and found the small rabbit standing there. "Whoa, Tewi? When did you get here?"

"I never left, just hiding"

Looking around, I don't see any place that can be used as a hiding spot. I even check the ceiling looking for some kind of trap door, but there's nothing but hard wood for the veranda rooftop. "Hiding where?"

Before I can get an answer, the princess asked a question to the rabbit. "Never mind that. Inaba, have you finished the thing I asked you to do earlier?"

"Hm? Yeah, it's waiting outside, though I still don't get why you needed those"

"It's not for me..."

* * *

><p>A group of little girls with rabbit ears similar to Tewi dropped a large woven basket on the ground. It's the same one I was using earlier to gather the bamboo shoots, but now it is filled to the brim with bamboo shoots to the point of overflowing.<p>

".. These are for you"

"... Wow" Checking the contents, there must be... I don't know... three dozen at the very least... maybe four judging by the way the bamboo shoots are neatly packed into the basket.

"What do you think-usa? It took a lot of effort, and rabbits to gather this much, so you better appreciate this"

"... Yeah, thank you Tewi. Really appreciated, one thing though..."I push on the basket as hard as I can, and it barely moves more than a foot. "Ugh... Just how am I supposed to get this to the village?"

"That... huh... that's a good point-usa. Don't think a human can move all this by himself"

"Yeah... I only need half of these... so..."

"Are you sure? Is there really no way for you to carry these back to the village?"

I turn to the princess when she asked that. She's looking at me strangely. I know that look though, it's similar to how my matron looks at me when she knows that I'm lying or hiding something from her. "I guess I could... but I don't know if I should..."

"Princess, I don't think he'll do anything unless you gave him the permission to do so" Eirin told her.

"Is that so? Then I'll allow it"

"A-are you sure? Do you know what you're agreeing to?"

"Of course. Eirin told me everything. I'm looking forward to seeing it myself"

I sighed in annoyance. Well, so much for keeping it on the down low. With her permission I take out my spell card out of my pocket. Looking around at the audience, I just have to ask. "So... maybe I shouldn't ask this, but... any volunteer?"

"Not me-usa" Tewi quickly shakes her head. That rules her out I guess. The other rabbit also looks uncomfortable with the idea, so let's not copy her also. That leaves...

"I'd like you to imitate Udonge here" Eirin stepped up as she pushes the taller rabbit forward.

Said rabbit looks conflicted as she looks back at her. "Master?"

"Udonge is stronger than she looks, at least more than the average human. Her strength is more than enough for you to carry that basket back to the human village"

"But master..."

"Don't worry Udonge, just trust me"

"... Very well master"

"Right then, now Shirou-san, what are you waiting for?"

"... Is it really fine? I'm not so sure about this..."

"Just do it. Unless you want the princess' effort to help you be in vain. That would really break her heart you know"

"Damn that's harsh. Fine... I'll do it"

I take out the spell card out of my pocket. "You okay with this?" I asked the rabbit before I activate it.

"... It's fine"

She still seems uncomfortable though. "Okay then. If it's any comfort, this is not going to hurt you at all. **Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion**"

Instantly the all too familiar surge of power hit me once again. Though there's something unique to this one. The moment I activate my spell card, my eyes felt warm and I start seeing red everywhere. My vision turns back to normal soon afterwards, so it's fine I think.

I lightly rub my eyes to ease the uncomfortable feeling.

"Let me see your eyes for a moment" Eirin said as she stepped in front of me. Not having any reason to say no, I lowered my hand, letting Eirin take a look at my eyes. She's the doctor after all. "Hm... interesting..." I heard her mutter under her breath while staring intently at me.

Interesting? That's the first thing she has to say? That's not exactly what I want to hear from a doctor when I'm being examined by one.

She inspected me for a bit before she turn to the taller rabbit. "Udonge, let him see your eyes"

"Master?! That's dangerous"

"Yeah, didn't you say I shouldn't do that earlier on the day?"

Eirin expertly brushed off our complaint. "Trust me on this; now look at him in the eye" She told her once again.

The rabbit looks like she's going to complain once more, but then she sighed in defeat before turning towards me. "... Shirou-san, look over here please"

I quickly shied away from her eyes. "...um. Are you sure about this?"

"Have no fear. Even if the worst case scenario were to happen, I have the skill to bring you back "I think Eirin is trying to reassures me, but her choice of words makes it hard for me to just accept it.

Hah... might as well get this over with. Here's hoping my sanity will stay intact. After saying a quick prayer to whatever God that is listening, I turn towards the rabbit... right into a set of blood red eyes that are starring right at me.

"..."

At the back of my mind I'm aware that it suddenly becomes quiet, but I'm too focused on the rabbit's intense gaze to actually care about the lack of sound.

The staring contest last for some time before I was forced to break eye contact by an annoying rabbit. "So? So? Is your mind still straight or is your head getting mashed in like a mochi?" Tewi excitedly asked while jumping up and down and poking me in the head.

I move away from the poking and turn toward her. "Cut it out, it's annoying. And to answer your question, I'm just fine" When our eyes met, Tewi visibly stiffen before she runs of and hides behind the taller rabbit.

"Are you sure about that?" She asked while peeking from behind her 'shield'.

The rabbit's reaction worries me so I look toward Eirin for answers. The good doctor in turn amusedly shakes her head at my confusion. "I half expected this, but for it to actually happen... You're quite the interesting human" Saying that, she then grabs hold of my face and look directly into my eyes. The doctor have surprisingly strong grip as I found myself unable to back away from her. "Look into my eyes, what did you see?"

This is so embarrassing, but as I'm unable to do anything else, I did what she told me to do and look right into her eyes. Her dark grey eyes look right back at me, and through them, I can see the reflection of my own eyes. The reflected eyes widened as I notice the crimson coloration of my usually dark eyes.

Happy with my reaction, Eirin let go of my face. "Congratulations, you're a temporary owner of the lunacy eyes. And as I expected, you're unable to use it at all"

I am too stunned to say anything back. Tewi on the other hand have no problem with asking questions. "He can't use them?"

"Technically he should be able to, but I don't think he's got the grasp of wavelength manipulations between soundwaves and lightwaves like Udonge did. So yes, he's unable to use it. It's still in effect though, which explain why he's able to look into Udonge's eyes without problem. Madness repels more madness"

Her explanation enter my ear and flew right out from the other one. "I don't get it"

"It's fine if you don't get it. That way we won't have a problem with each other"

"... Out of curiosity, what would you do if I do get it?"

"Then I'll need to run many more tests on you, physically and mentally" She said it with a very nice smile, but I receive the concealed threats perfectly. For the first time in my life I'm so glad that I'm not educated. "Well, theories aside, let's return to the task at hand. Try moving the basket now"

"Hm? Oh yeah" With all the commotion about eyes, I almost forgot the reason I copied the rabbit in the first place. So approaching the basket once more, I gave it a light push since I'm unsure how much strength I possess now. The basket starts to slide slowly as I push, and as I put in more pressure, the faster it moves. I step back from the basket after a few steps, having learned the amount of pressure I need to push the basket safely. "This is good, I should be able to carry this back to the village without any problem now"

"How about youkais? It's really starting to get dark..." Tewi asked me.

Looking up at the sky, it has indeed becoming dark while we were talking."I'll manage. I should be able to—ouch" Something just pricked my left arm. Turning around, I quickly spotted the culprit who's in the process of putting something back into her clothes "The heck was that?"

Eirin looked at me with no remorse whatsoever on her face. "I was just taking some tissue sample, nothing too serious. And while we're on this subject, mind if I take some blood sample too?"

"No!" I said a bit louder than I intended.

"I was just joking" She said that even though it's quite clear to everyone present that she's not kidding at all.

"Uh-huh..." Just in case, I take a step away from her while keeping her in my field of vision."Anyway, time for me to head back. Thank you once again for the help. I really appreciate it" I bid my farewells to the group.

"Bye-usa"

"Take care of yourself" The taller rabbit bowed politely at me. When she straightened up, she's already back to avoiding eye contact with me.

"Do visit again sometimes. I'll be looking forward to the time when we can have a proper conversation"

"Same here princess" I lightly bow toward her. Dammit she's just too cute. Now that we're saying good bye I'm really starting to regret leaving. But as much as I wanna stay, I have a job I have to do, so I can't.

Eirin said her farewell next. As she approaches me I keep a close eye on any needle that she might have hidden; thankfully there's none. "Take care Shirou. The next time we meet, I hope it will be in a much more pleasant manner"

"Here's hoping"

"Heh" Eirin chuckled amusedly before she turn and point at the path on my left. "If you follow that path it'll lead you back to the forest. Keep going in the same direction and you'll be at the forest edge"

"Thanks" With that I grabbed onto the basket and start pulling away. It got a bit of weight but it's barely noticeable thanks to the rabbit's strength. "Until next time" I start walking away, dragging the overflowing basket along with me.

Hopefully I won't get lost again. Just going straight should be easy enough, right?

* * *

><p>As the lunar princess watches the unknown boy walked off into the distance, she can't help but wonder. "Inaba, help the others tend to dinner. I am feeling rather famish after my earlier engagement"<p>

"Yes master"

"Sure thing"

The two rabbits walked off. She waited until her pets have disappeared out of earshot before she turns to her friend. "How interesting. So is that the same thing he did with me? And her too I guess"

Her fellow lunarian nodded. "I believe so, though from his explanation, the cards only force the manifestation of his ability. He mentions energy residue as the natural cause"

"I see... that explains it. Did he imitate... everything?"

"Aside from physical appearance, yes, I believe he imitated everything"

At the word 'everything', an unspoken understanding was shared between the two fellow lunarian exiles. Without knowing it, the human has also imitated her gift, her curse. Unable to understand the concept, the human mistakenly saw it as a powerful healing ability, but it is far more than that, for it is a punishment, one that she wrought upon herself. The curse of immortality...

"His abilities aside, I'm actually more surprised that he can refuse you"

"Hn, that is indeed a surprise. Not many men are able to do so. It's quite a pleasing change for one; having a man grovelling at my feet can be quite a bother" While many would think what she just said is an exaggerated expression, few would know that she's speaking from experience. "He's indeed an interesting human" The princess let out a tired sigh as she looks at where the human wandered off to a few minute ago "Shame he left before we can have a chat, surely he'd have some interesting stories to share"

"The possibility of that is quite high"

"Hm, maybe I should've sent Inaba to ensure he safely arrives at the village. It would be unsightly for him to meet his end so early."

"That would unnecessary Kaguya-sama. I'm sure 'she' will take care of him"

Her mood darkened as Eirin mentioned her fellow immortal. "... Fine, I suppose that's the only thing she's good for, it would be bad manners for me to deny even that of her" She begrudgingly let the matter go.

"If it's of some consolation, I'm sure she would have a hard time dealing with him"

At that thought, a smile creped onto her face. Eirin is right. The phoenix is a loner, excepting the human teacher as her only companion in her immortal life. Surely she'd be worried that she has accidently hurt or even mortally wounded a friend of her only friend. Having been enemies for so very long, Kaguya knows the way her enemy usually thinks. With that, she surmises that she most probably has been watching Eintei all this time, looking for an opportunity to check up on the human.

She surely would not be expecting him to survive the encounter looking no worse to wear. So when she saw him walking out, she'll be tempted to confront him about it, once she mustered enough willpower to do so of course. And even then her pride would get in the way as always.

Oh how she would squirm. What a sight it would be...

"Eirin, mind if I..."

"... I'll let the others know you'll be delayed for dinner. But if you may perhaps, try not to get into another fight right before dinner. The blood would sour the taste of food"

In response to her friend's advice, she took out five items from their hiding place; a stone bowl, a branch decorated with precious stones, a small cloth made out of grey fur, a jewel with many colours, and lastly a large vacant shell. All five items swirled in air as they hovered around her. "I'll make no such promise" She said with a wicked grin before she took off to the skies.

* * *

><p>Dammit!<p>

Eirin said I should just keep going straight, but unfortunately for me, finding a straight line in the bamboo forest is much harder than I thought it would be. I think I am heading to the right direction, but my sense of direction has been shot ever since I left the dirt path so for all I know I could've been going in circles for the past 10 minutes.

The sun's already gone and the moon light can barely light my way through the forest. Thankfully I manage to make a single bullet to use as a light source. The light pinkish glow didn't reach far, but it's just enough to light the area around me so I won't trip on anything.

But still... I really need to find the way out of here soon. I'm getting rather hungry after all. Maybe I can climb one of these bamboo trees? Rabbits are quick on their feet right? So technically I could do it, I think...

Intending on doing just that, I look around the area searching for the sturdiest looking bamboo trees. While doing so, I caught sight of something, or rather, someone else a few feet away from me.

"..." Their face is hidden by the darkness, so I cannot see him or her clearly. But as I turn to face the person, he or she makes no moves at all to acknowledge the fact that I am aware of his or her presence.

"Who's there?" I called out.

The person stands still for a few more seconds before he or she approaches me slowly. As she steps out of the shadow, the sliver of moonlight that manages to pass through unblocked by the bamboo trees illuminates her face. Her ankle-length silver hair seems to glisten under the moon light, heavily contrasting her ashen coloured shirt. Her red overalls is dark red, and are randomly decorated with what I think are paper charms. Looking closely her hair is also tied with similar paper charms.

I know this person. She's the other girl that was fighting with that Eintei princess earlier today. By extension she's also the one that nearly hit me with a giant fireball.

The girl stops walking a three or four metres away from me. At this range, I can see the deep scowl on her face as she fixated her gaze on me. "..." She still did not say anything.

Okay, what's with the silent treatment? That wordless stare is getting a bit creepy... Well, if she's not going to say anything, then maybe I should be the one to initiate the conversation. But what should I say? "Um, hi? You're that flame girl from earlier aren't you?"

If possible, the girl's frown becomes even deeper at that. In response, her mouth open once, then twice, then thrice and then... "... Are you an idiot?" She insulted me straight off.

"Urk" I can't help but flinch at the harshness of her voice.

"What kind of human sticks around to watch a death match when it's clearly not safe for them to do so? You should've turn and run the moment we started fighting. But clearly you thought you're better than that since you stayed put. Now I ask you once again, are you an idiot?!"

I'd like to defend myself from her harsh accusation, but I don't think this girl will respond favourably if I raise any objection. So let's not pour oil into the fire, this girl's fire is hot enough as she is. "Uu... I'm sorry" I weakly apologize.

The girl keeps glaring at me before she turns around and starts walking away. "... The village is not this way, follow me" She said without stopping to wait for me.

For a second I was frozen in indecision at the girl's sudden change of heart. One second she's berating me and then now she's offering to show me the way out? As I pondered on what it means, the girl keeps walking farther and farther. Having little options and even less time to decide, I ended up choosing to take my chance with her. "Hey wait up"

She's not slowing down, or even bothered to look back. For someone that uses fire, that's just cold...

* * *

><p>The fire girl didn't say anything as she leads me through the bamboo trees. She also didn't slow down her pace, making it hard for me to keep up with her since I'm dragging a large basket through the forest. I know I knock down a few bamboo trees down in my haste to keep up with her.<p>

But if there's one good thing about her fast pace, is that we manage to reach the edge of the forest much faster. My guide stops short of the clearing outside the forest before pointing at the flickers of light a small way ahead. "The village's that way"

"Phew, thanks" Glad to finally getting out of the bamboo forest. Looking at the village in the distance, I welcome my sense of direction back to my head.

The girl solemnly nodded before she starts walking back into the forest. "...Right. Bye then"

"Hm? Where are you going?"

Against my expectations, the girl stopped before she turns sideways to look at me, her hands in her pocket. "Home. Did you expect me to escort you all the way back to the village?"

That would be nice yes. But clearly she's not going to do it. "All right. Thanks again for showing me the way out, really appreciate it"

"Yeah... sure..." She replied disinterestedly.

Not expecting any more conversation with her, I start walking again. But then, "Wait..." The girl called me out for once.

I halted mid step in surprise as I was really not expecting her to call me. Turning back at her I saw her fidgeting in place for some reason. "Hm? What is it?"

The girl opened her mouth a few times, but no sound come out of it before she closes it. She then starts to wildly scratch her head. If I don't know any better, I'd say the girl seems to be struggling with herself, and as it stands, I really am didn't know any better.

"What's wrong?" I stupidly ask.

In response, a massive heat draft start blowing around me, quickly turning the cool night weather into humid summer weather. The cause of this sudden temperature shift is growling in anger. "Shut up for one second!" An even hotter heat draft blasted of her as she yells loudly.

"Y-yes" I instinctively straightened up. This girl's got a fiery temper! Combine it with her power over fire; it makes for a dangerous combination.

I patiently waited for the girl to say what's on her mind, and that time is heralded by the returning cool air as the girl seems to calm down somewhat. She opens her mouth again, but this time, words are flowing out of it. "... Forget what happened today"

"... Excuse me?"

"You went to the forest, you did whatever you were doing here, and then you left straight away. Nothing else happened!" She told me with a glare, as if she's challenging me to say otherwise.

Of course I notice the lack of details in the events she just recounted, namely me nearly getting blown up. But it would be pouring oil into the fire if I say otherwise, so I didn't oppose to it. Instead, "Okay? But why do you want me to do that?" I asked for the reason she wants me to keep quiet.

"It's none of your business. You tell anyone and I won't hesitate to turn you into ash"

That is the most convincing threat I've ever heard in my life. "Since you asked so nicely..." I grumbled under my breath.

"You...!" The girl must've heard my grumbling as the air starts to heat up again. I was all ready to bolt and run when the heat dies off again. The girl is looking down onto the ground, so I cannot see her expression, but I've taken a step back just as precaution. Then to my utter disbelief, the girl looks back at me with a desperate expression, one that I did not expect to see from her. "... Please. Don't tell anyone... if she founds out..." She pleaded with low voice.

For the first time since I met her, the girl look so vulnerable, a complete contrast with how she was acting all this time. In the face of this turnabout, I can't think of any reason to refuse her request. "Okay, I won't tell anyone"

The girl quietly nodded before she turns around once again. "... This never happened either. Got it?"

"Heh, okay. Thanks again for getting me out of there"

"... Don't mention it" She utters it so slowly at first I thought I was hearing things. With that said, the girl walked back into the forest, this time not stopping until she disappears into the night.

* * *

><p>The embodiment of the phoenix sullenly walked back home after leaving her temporary charge on the edge of the bamboo forest. She's not happy about how she handles the situation, but she was worried. She really hopes the boy will keep his promises and keep quiet about what happened, the thought what would happen if her friend finds out about what happened makes her shudders violently. She most certainly would not be happy that she attacked a human, whether it's accidental or not.<p>

Speaking of the boy, he proves to be quite a frustrating encounter once again. His lack of awareness to the dangers that surrounds him is just plain frustrating. She didn't care about what the tengu's paper says about his weird unknown ability, the fact is, she nearly killed him. If he died, that could tear a rift between her and...

"Well what do we have here? A lost bird on her way home?"

Looking up, she saw her fellow immortal hovering in the air above her. What a convenient timing. She's really in the mood to kill at the moment.

"I'd say, the way you grovel to a human is a good look for you. Maybe you should do it more often"

"Bet you have a lot of experience yourself, you damn whore!" With a loud roar, her flames reignited around her. They wrapped around her in a warm embrace, and she welcomes it as always. Flaring her flaming wings, she flew right at her enemy, intending to burn her to ashes.

The Eientei princess is all but too eager to respond, and once again, the two immortals are locked in deadly combat, one that neither of them will ever win in their everlasting life.

* * *

><p>The old man is ecstatic when I show up in his doorstep with the basketful of bamboo. "Why, nice job sonny boy, that's a lot of bamboo shoots you got for me"<p>

"Uh... no problem"

I wasn't the one that was gathering those bamboo shoots anyway... feel bad about taking credit for someone else's work, but then again, in a way, I paid for this with my blood, so I guess it's okay just this once.

"Now could you help me tip this thing over, give this old man a little help"

"Uh... sure?"

With the rabbit's copied strength, I easily tipped the basket, letting the content spill out all over the storage room. The previously empty room is now filled with bamboo shots.

"All right, now straighten it back up" He told me half way through.

"But there're still some left inside"

"Nah, those are for you"

"For me? " I pulled the basket straight up again. It's much lighter now that the majority of the content is no longer present. Still, there's at least a good dozen bamboo shoots left in the basket.

"Right, thank you kindly sonnie. You just helped me and my family big time. These should be enough for at least one full moon cycle before we need to gather more"

"Right, no problem... mind if I ask what you're going to do with all of these? Are you going to eat them all?"

"Eat them? Why would we want to eat them? We're selling these to the shops in the village. It's a good business that my family been running for two generations. My son was occupied with my grandson's birth, so I was worried how we're going to fulfil this week's demand, but you really saved the day sonny"

"Huh... glad to help..."

"Now then, off you go lad. And you can have the basket also"

"Right, thanks"

The old man walk back into his house and close the door in front of me, leaving me with a giant basket and a small pile of bamboo shoots.

I got this weird feeling I just got swindled...

Having me gather my own payments so he doesn't have to spend anything... Got to admire that old man, he might be old but his mind is still sharp.

Still, I don't mind too much.

The basket would be useful for storing stuff. And the bamboo shoots are a nice addition also; they're quite tasty after all. Though they might go bad before I finish them all...

Better give some away; maybe Reimu would want some...

... I imagine the reaction I'd get from her if I show up at her shrine with the bamboo shoots.

What am I thinking? Of course she would want some.

Anyway, time for dinner. I'm feeling lazy to cook something myself, so eat out as always I guess. Now what do I feel like? Udon again? Or maybe a bowl of ramen?

... Meh, I'll decide while dropping this oversized basket home. There's really no need to keep hauling it around the village, not to mention my spell card would time out sooner or later, and that would make dragging it a pain.

And thus I start making my way home, carrying the huge basket along with me. Some people look at me funny as I pass by them, but by now I have learned to ignore their stares. My head was filled with thoughts of dinner, since it's my first official job completion it should be fine to splurge a bit. Been a while since I have meat...

"Shirou-san?"

The meaty daydream comes to a halt as I hear someone call my name. Following the voice I saw Keine who's approaching from the left. "Keine-sensei, how are you?"

"I'm fine, but what are you..." She stopped talking when she saw my face. I notice her eyes widening before she frowned. "Those eyes..." She said in a low tone, but I can pick it up easily; I'm chalking that up to a rabbit's good hearing. "What exactly were you doing today?"

"I was... gathering at the bamboo forest"

"... Did anything happen while you were in there?"

"Well..." I don't want to lie to Keine since she helped me a lot since I got here, but that fire girl was so desperate when she asked me not to tell what happened to anybody. "I got spectacularly lost in there. I didn't find my way out until just a few hours ago"

"And how did you find your way out?"

"I met this fire girl who showed me the way out" She only makes me promises not to tell about what happened in there, so mixing some truth into this should make for a believable story.

"Oh, I see. That's good" Keine showed a small smile there. "What do you think about that girl?"

"What do I think? Hm..." I pondered a bit while replaying my meeting with her. "I'd say she's a bit headstrong, and harsh, not to mention hot-tempered. I think she means well, but the way she shows it is a bit flawed"

Keine exasperatedly shakes her head. "Really that girl" She muttered with an even quieter voice, but once again, thanks to my rabbit hearing, I can hear it clearly.

"You know her?"

Keine nodded to answer my question. "Yes, she's a dear friend of mine. Allow me to apologize for her behaviour; she's not good at dealing with people"

"It's okay really, she did show me the way out after all"

"That's good" She smiled in relief before her gaze shifted to the large basket I am carrying. "So what's the basket for? Why are you carrying such a big thing around?"

"Funny story really... you see..."

I told the story as we walked through the village. Keine expressed some amusement when I told her about my dealing with that old man. She let out a laugh when I explained how I get the large basket as my reward for doing the job. We keep talking until we reached her place, which is also the school. As we said our goodbyes, I gave her two of the bamboo shoots from the basket just because. She graciously accepted them.

"Oh, I almost forgot" She stopped just as she reached for her door. Turning toward me, I saw her having the most serious expression I've ever seen on her face. "Tomorrow is the night of the full moon. Youkais are exceedingly active at this time of the month, so you should keep to the village for tomorrow"

"Tomorrow's a full moon?" Looking up, I saw a nearly full moon staring down at me. "Are you sure? I thought it might still be another day or two before it's full"

"It will be full tomorrow. I know it" Looking at Keine's eye, I saw no doubt in them. She seems certain without a doubt that tomorrow will be a full moon. "So please stay inside the village. No matter how capable you are, your life would be in danger outside of the village"

"Okay, I'll stay in. Promise"

"Good, make sure you do. It's for your own good" She sternly told me.

"I already said I'll stay in. There's no need to keep repeating yourself"

"Ah yes, I apologize. It's just that I was so used to the children second guessing me. In fact just earlier I was scolding a few of them when they said they wanted to play outside tomorrow"

"Children will be children I suppose?"

"Frightfully true. If it's no trouble, could I ask you to watch over them tomorrow? See to it that those kids stay inside the village?"

"Huh? If it's as dangerous as you said, then surely their parents would do that already. If not, the other villagers will do that"

"I know, but just in case..." She quietly said.

I look at Keine, and she seems to be genuinely worried about it. "If you feel that strongly, then I'll keep an eye out for the kids. It'll give me something to do for tomorrow"

"Thank you"

"No, I should be the one thanking you. I didn't know about the danger of full moon until you told me"

At that, Keine paused as she looks at me in confusion. "You didn't?"

"Uh-huh, first time I heard about it"

"That was surprising, I was certain that the shrine maiden would told you about it"

When she makes a mention of Reimu, it's my turn to be confused. "Reimu? She hasn't said anything. What makes you thought so?"

"It's just..." She trailed off while shaking her head slowly. "Never mind, I'm probably reading too much into it"

"Huh?"

"Don't worry about it. In any case, you have been warned, so do be careful tomorrow"

"I will"

Keine nodded before she turns around and opened her door. "Have a good night Shirou-san. Thank you once again for these" She lifted the bamboo shoots up into view.

"No problem, a good night to you too"

She gave me smile before she walked into her home and closes the door behind her.

Okay, pleasantries done, time to resume my trek home with the basket. I'm really starting to get hungry, so let's do this real quick.

I grabbed onto the basket once more, and pull on it again. Unfortunately, I met with a much higher resistance from the basket this time around and I nearly fall down face first. Surprised and confused, I give it another pull, and to my chagrin, the basket barely moves at all. "Ah, dammit" My spell card must've run its course while I was talking to Keine. I'm back to normal.

My home is not that far anymore, but damn this complicates things. Oh well, better get this done quick and go get dinner. With that thought in mind, I start pushing the basket forward.

The basket is not as full as it was before, but damn it's still heavy. What I thought was going to take 5 minutes ended up becoming 15 minutes. As I struggle to squeeze the basket into my doorsteps, I can't help but wonder how much stronger that rabbit was compared to myself.

"What in the world are you doing?"

Turning around, I saw a certain shrine maiden looking at me bewilderment. "What does it looks like? Can you give me a hand here?"

"Nah, I'm fine with just watching"

"Oh you lazy good for nothing shrine maideeeen!" I yelled the last part while giving a hard push to the basket. I heard a small cracking sound before me and the basket fall down to the floor. My home soon has bamboo shoots scattered all over near the entrance. "God dammit!" I cursed out loud as I saw the messy state of my house.

"That's divine retribution for bad mouthing a sacred shrine maiden" Reimu told me while stepping over me and into my house.

I grumbled as I pick myself up from the floor. "Which part of you is sacred exactly?" Lifting the basket up, I notice a small crack near the base of the basket. It's still usable, so I deposited it on the wall next to the doorway.

"If you can't understand it then there's no use telling it to you" The shrine maiden cheekily answered while picking up the scattered bamboo shoots. "So? Where were you all day today? Though judging by what you got here, the answer is quite obvious" She said while casually tossing a bamboo shoot back into the basket.

"I was wandering around the bamboo forest all day, yeah. Were you looking for me?"

"Not really. Marisa told me she saw you coming into the village dragging something big. Hearing that I came to investigate"

"That's convenient" I sighed as I pick up the bamboo shoots off the ground. "Help yourself to some if you like"

"Don't mind if I do" The shrine maiden replied without missing a beat, seems like she already planned to do so even without an invitation. By the time we finish cleaning up, there's a small stack of bamboo shoots left, neatly placed in a small wicker bin. Reimu happily cradled the bin on her arms.

"Well, I'm off. Thanks for these by the way"

"Yeah-yeah. Just give me back the bin when you're done"

"Of course. I'm not Marisa" She replied before turning around and start flying away. but before she can get very far, she stopped and turn back around. "Oh, one last thing. It's nearly full moon soon. No matter what you do, stay inside the village during the full moon you got that?"

"Yeah, I heard that from Keine already"

"Good, then you should be aware of the danger. Stay inside got it? If I caught you wandering outside tomorrow I'll let Suika have her way with you, and trust me, that won't be pleasant"

"Threat received loud and clear, just go away already. Enjoy the shoots"

"Oh I will. Stay safe now" She gave a small wave before she flew off.

I wait for the shrine maiden to disappear from view before I start making my way back into the village. Time for dinner! My poor stomach was rumbling so much while waiting for Reimu to go away. Not that I hate her or something, but if she heard I'm planning to go for sukiyaki she'd probably insist that I buy her dinner too.

Just be grateful for the bamboo shoots Reimu, but the meat is all mine... mwahahaha!

* * *

><p>Keine quietly closes shut the last window on her home. The darkness is all around her now, with only a single candle as a light source. She cautiously moves to her study room, opening the door quietly and closing it shut as soon as she entered it. Eyes glancing in the dark, she makes sure that there is no one around within her sanctuary no matter how unlikely that would be.<p>

Satisfied that she's all alone, the school teacher place the candle stand on her desk before turning to the shelves that lined the wall behind her. Calmly sorting through them in her mind, she recalled the last one she was working on and quietly takes a single scroll out from the shelves. Sitting down before the desk, she unfurled the scroll on it.

Ready to start her work, she gives the place one last look over for any intruder to ensure her secrecy. As she does so, her eyes lingered on the tiny ember on her candle stand. As she gazes onto the flame, her thoughts lingered on the burnt spot she noticed on Shirou's sleeves. She's quite aware that the boy was not telling the whole story when they were talking earlier, but she did not press on it, believing he had a good reason to hide the truth from her.

But now as she sits in the darkness, a question appears on her mind; what caused that burn? The non-educated answer would be that he accidently burned it off while cooking or something, but there is another answer to that question, one that is more closely tied to a certain place that the boy admitted that he was at before.

"Mokou..." Her friend, a temperamental fire user, one that acted based on the emotions buried deep within her heart. Could she accidently...

No, it's impossible. While brash, her friend is not as irresponsible as to attack a human unprovoked, and from what she knows about Shirou, he's not one to incite a battle. Sure he might accidentally set her off, but even then her friend won't directly harm him in any way. Threaten him sure, but it's not like her to hurt a human. Mokou knows very well that she does not accept that kind of behaviour.

Hm, perhaps she's thinking too much about this. There's no use speculating on the unknown, surely she can trust those two to behave themself.

Tearing her gaze away from the fire, she turns her focus onto the scroll in front of her. She might as well start her job early; there is plenty of work to be done. Closing her eyes, she takes a few deep breaths in to prepare herself for the task at hand, as always there are a lot that needs to be done, and it'll take all her energy to finish these before the full moon ends.

Red eyes opened in determination. Flicking a strand of silvery green hair away from her face, she began her work.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 25-End<strong>

**Head buzzing... I'm going to bed...**

**If you like the story, please review.**


	10. Day 26: The Full Moon Interlude

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**I am back at 120% health status!**

**To celebrate my quick recovery, here's a quick chapter I whip out from the dark recess of my mind. **

**It was supposed to be a quick interlude, but it kinda upgraded itself into a mini chapter of its own. So without further ado, please enjoy.**

**Day 26: The Full Moon Interlude... And Then Stuff...**

* * *

><p>I never expected that the host of the house that I'm currently visiting would herald my simple question with so much respect. "So after you exercised the body, now you are also exercising the mind? You're such a hard worker Shirou-san" Hieda no Akyu praised me when I told her of my intentions for my visit today.<p>

I can't help but to let out a tired sigh as I listen to her praising me with such conviction. "It's nothing like that, I was just passing by after playing with the children and I decided to stop by to say hi"

"And tired as you are, you still have enough desire to learn about the full moon, which is why you asked me about it no?"

"I was just curious..." Plus I'm not that tired anyway.

"Is that not what I said?" My host smiled at me not accepting my explanation.

Let's recap from when I woke up this morning. After getting dressed and strapping my sword on my back which is my usual norm, I left the house to take a walk around the village. A few minutes into it, I quickly became aware of the tense atmosphere around the village. It seems everyone is on edge about the full moon.

But then I run into a few kids, and in the middle of the anxiety ridden mood of the villagers, they're like a bundle of energetic sunshine that is clouded with boredom; a very dangerous combination at this time of the month. So to make sure they won't do anything dangerous, I decided to watch over them, and what better way to watch over a bunch of kids than play with them?

So with that thought in mind, I gathered the kids and take them to a clearing I know that is located safely near the centre of the village. I found another group of children already playing ball in that clearing, so it's but a simple matter to join the two groups of children together for a game. As the kids started playing, I watch from the sideline to keep an eye on the children like I promised to Keine. It wasn't long before more children started appearing in that clearing, and it's even less long before I got dragged into their game. So I ended up playing with the kids for the whole day.

We stopped playing just when the sun is setting as the skies turns red, and as I wandered around looking for food, I notice that I am passing by the Hieda house. Since I'm not that hungry yet, I decided to stop by. Hieda-san is not troubled at all by my visit; she even had a light snacks prepared for me; a flavoured rice ball with a juicy plum in the middle. I didn't have the heart nor will to say no to that.

As we were eating, she asked me about what I was doing with the children; apparently one of her servants saw me and told her about it. Not having anything to hide, I told her about what I was doing for the day, and that's how the conversation started.

And then I offhandedly asked her about the full moon, and she instantly praises me as a hard worker.

... Well, I actually am, but hearing others said that to me is just plain embarrassing, which is why I'm trying to deny it. This is not low self confidence by the way; it's just an effective method to maintain a balanced and healthy ego, as taught by the boss. In his exact words, _'Never allow yourself be swooned by a woman's words for it is nothing but poison that'll only corrupt your manliness'. _It sounded harsh, but the boss always has my well being in mind when he taught me while growing up, so I do take his advices to heart, no matter how weird they are.

This is why I'm insisting that I'm not a hard worker when Hieda-san praised me as one. She should be glad that I'm too tired to keep denying it or we'll be at it for a much longer time. "Okay, whatever you say..." I said with a tired sigh. "So? What was it about full moon that makes youkai so much more dangerous than any other day?"

Hieda-san looked me fully, her previous mirth all but gone as she take a seat next to me in her veranda. "It's not a hard problem if you think about it. The moon is a powerful force. It affects every single being in this world, from the smallest insects to the largest animal, to those living under the water, on the ground, and flying on the skies. When the moon reaches its fullest circle, its influence reaches its highest peak. Youkais are amongst those that are particularly sensitive to the moon, just below were-creatures and vampire, so they receive much power during the full moon"

"How so?"

"Hm... let's take a nekomata for example. Did you know how a nekomata is born Shirou-san?"

"A nekomata? You mean those demon cats with two tails? If I remember it right, a normal cat can become one if they lived for too long, then their tails split into two and they are reborn as a nekomata" I recalled what I know based on the old folktales I was told a long time ago.

"Yes, that is correct. What's missing from that explanation is that the moon also plays a role in their transformation. Have you not wondered why many cats often gaze at the moon?"

Now that she mentions it, I often see cats walking along rooftops during night time, but I usually didn't think much about it since cats usually just likes high places.

"They do it instinctively because the moon is energizing them. Most animals feel this attraction simply because of the power emitting from the moon. It energizes them, and to some lucky few, it transforms them. A nekomata, as the prime example, is a cat that has lived through many moon cycles and survives to be reborn"

"Ok. I think I get it now" I do notices some unusual animal behaviours during a full moon, but the matron told me they were animals being animals. In the end I just assumed that they get confused by the full moon, or in a dogs case, the giant play ball in the sky. But if what Hieda-san said is true, then that put a whole new spin on that theory.

"Animals aside, what about you Shirou-san?"

I am completely taken off guard when she asked me that question. How did this conversation suddenly shift towards me? "What do you mean?"

Hieda-san peered expectantly towards me. "Did the full moon affect you too?"

"Huh? I don't think so... Did the moon affect human too?"

"Of course. I did say the moon affect everything on this world did I not? Human is no exception. Sadly most humans have lost their affinity with their inner energy, so the moons effect on them is mostly negligent. But you're different than most humans, so the moon might have some influence on you"

"Will it? I dunno... I for one didn't feel any different"

"That's because it's still another hour or two before the moon appears on the sky" She told me.

"Oh yeah..." Looking up to the sky, I can't help but awkwardly laugh when I saw the cloudy sky that is still void of the moon. "Just in case I do get affected, what kind of changes should I expect?"

"Let's see..." She hummed in thought for a few seconds before she answers. "At the very least there might be some mental changes; you might feel more active or even restless for example. And then depending on your sensitivity to the flow of energy surrounding you, you probably would become strengthened also, becoming stronger and faster"

The last part sounded very familiar to me. "Sensitive to the... okay, then I most probably will be affected then" I groaned while tiredly scratching my head in annoyance.

Hieda-san just smiled as I express my frustration. "There's nothing bad about it. I personally think it's a wonderful thing"

"Haah... If you say so. But don't you think..." The sound of people shouting cut my words away. Feeling curious from the commotion, I get off the balcony and approached the voice as much as I can without tripping over the fence surrounding the house, which means I stop moving just after five steps.

"There seems to be something going on outside" Hieda-san stated the fact as she too stands up.

It's painfully obvious that we're not going to get answers if we just stay here, so in the end, we both headed outside. The moment we walked out past the gates, we quickly run into the problem at hand, or to be precise, the problem is charging straight at us!

"Watch out!" I yelled as I grab hold to her and yanking us both backward, just in time to miss the charging cow that was about to ran into us. The offending cow didn't even spare us a glance as it keeps running.

Both me and Hieda-san is completely bedazzled as we stare at the retreating cow. "Is the moon making me hallucinate that we were about to be run over by a cow or did that really happened?" As much as I realize how stupid it sounded, I just have to ask.

"No... The moon might have some association with lunacy, but that just now was very real"

"Okay, so what exactly just happened?"

"I'm... not sure..."

As we both pick ourselves up from the ground, I notice a pair of villagers rushing toward us. "Hey, you two okay?" One of them, a scruffy looking old man asked us. He and the younger man next to him are both sweating heavily.

"We're fine, but what's going on?" Hieda-san inquired as she stands up.

"Someone forgot to close the cattle pen after we finished milking them. Now they're all loose and running rampant across the village"

Hieda-san visage turns into a frown as she listened to the explanation. "I can see that, but what aggravated them in the first place? The cows won't just go on a rampage without provocations"

"We don't know, but we're too busy rounding them up to figure it out"

"Oi boss, that cow is getting away" The younger man pointed out as he started running after the cow that nearly ran us over.

The older man also start running off again, but he only manages to take a few steps before he tiredly leaned on the fence. "You go on ahead! I still need a minute. I'm not as young as I was anymore" He tiredly called out.

I look at the tiredly panting old man and the retreating figure of the other man. Judging by the rampancy of that cow, I doubt he'll be able to stop it by himself. It would be good if the cow will calm down by itself, but it doesn't...

"I'll help!" I yelled before I chases after him.

He must've heard me as he slowed down a bit allowing me to catch up with him. When he saw me next to him, he speeds up again. "You're that freelancer kid right? I appreciate the help, but if you just want to get paid then don't bother, I don't have anything to pay you with" He told me.

"Then I'll settle with a thank you. Or is that still too expensive for you?"

"No, it's a deal. Thanks in advance kid, now let's get those cows"

"'Kay boss"

* * *

><p>It took some time, but we manage to round up a lot of cows from throughout the village with no small thanks to the villagers who also jumped in to help when they saw the cows that are roaming around the village. With their help, we manage to round up the cows back into their fence much faster than I expected and with minimum damage to the village.<p>

"Wooo, now that's a hassle. Thanks for the help kid" I nearly fall forward when the old man from earlier gave me a hard slap on the back for the job well done.

"No problem, it's quite a new experience for me" I answered while edging away from him, just in case he wants to show his appreciation more. For an old man who was heaving heavily from just running, he sure got a lot of strength in those arms. "Is that all the cows?"

"Gonta is doing the headcount right now, but these should be all of them"

"Oi boss! We got a problem!"

"What now?" The old man groaned as he turns around.

The same man from earlier runs toward us, as he gets closer I easily saw the distress on his face." Boss, we're missing one. Taniko is still missing!"

"Say what!?" And now the distress has also infected the old man. His previously cheerful face is replaced with panic riddled scowl. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. I checked it three times and she's not here"

"Then don't just stand there, start looking!"

"But where should we look? We already scoured through the village twice, and these are the only ones we found"

"Ugh..." The old man scowl becomes deeper. In his aging face that scowls nearly makes his eye brow disappear between the crevices that adorn his face. It can't be healthy for him...

"Excuse me, but who's Taniko?" I asked. I could already guess, but just in case I got it wrong...

"Taniko is the name of the boss' prized cow"

"Cow? She's no ordinary cow! She's the best milking cow this village has seen in years!"

"Uh-huh..." I quietly distanced myself from the old man. His affection to this cow is just creepy. "Well calm down, We can still look for her. What does she look like?"

The younger man of the two nodded in agreement before he described the missing cow to me. "Well, she got these white stripes on the dark fur around her face. The unique pattern should be easy enough to spot even for people who didn't know her"

"And I also put this large red bell around her neck, so I can find her every time" The old man chimed in too.

"A bell?" I look at him questioningly.

"You did?" The man beside the boss looks at him questioningly too. This must be news for him too.

"I did two days ago. But it's more like a wind chime than a bell, the design is quite unique. It make this tingling sound that seem to echo for miles away"

At that moment a light breeze drifted lazily into the area, carrying with it a light tune with it. Wait a second. That was a chime just now! The other two must've also heard it as we all turn to face the same direction. And there and behold, not too far from us, is a cow walking out from the barn.

"Taniko! Good cow you! You never left the barn did you?" The old man looks very happy as he rushed out in joy. Well, I'm just glad the problem is over. Now I can go get some food. Or maybe I should try cooking again, there's still time before dinner after all.

I was just about to leave when I heard another loud commotion. "Boss! Wait!" The man beside me yelled out.

The elder man stopped when he heard his voice. He turned around to look at him. "What's wrong now?" He seemed irritated that his happy reunion with the cow is being delayed.

"That's not Taniko! She doesn't have a horn!"

At the word horn, I finally notice the pair of sharp pointy things protruding on the cow's head. Horns on a cow are nothing special, but now that I take a good look at them, I quickly notice that those horns are NOT cow horns! A cow horn doesn't curl back like that! That is a goat's horn! But it's on a cow!?

I already start running forward before my mind can make sense of what I'm seeing.

To everyone's horror, the cow let out an a very un-cow like roar as it starts charging at the old man, horn pointed down to deal extreme amount of damage. Thankfully I got a head start from it so I manage to push the old man out of the way.

Having missed its intended target, the rampaging cow didn't stop, as it keeps running straight into the bordering fence. It smashes through the fence like it's made of paper before coming to a stop and then turning around to face us again, its slitted red eyes glistening in the night sky as it glares at us before it bares its sharp pointy fangs.

I helped the old man stands back up. "Is that really a cow?" I fearfully asked since this things species seems to have eluded me. The old man slowly shakes his head; it seems he doesn't have an answer either.

And then it roared again, much louder than the first time. As the roar is directed at me, I can't help but to be a bit shaken by its intensity. But the old man fares much worse than I am as his feet trembles from fear. "C'mon old man. This is not the time to let your age get the better of you" I let the old man lean on me to support him.

"Heh, kids these days, no respect of their elder" He manages to laugh, but he still needs me as support to stay upright.

And then the cow (?) charge at us once again. With the old man leaning on me, I'm fairly limited on mobility so it would be hard to evade this one. "... Man, a thank you is way too cheap for this." I groaned before I push the old man away and take a step forward to brace myself.

I got a full second to see the cow's (?) eyes directly before it rammed right into me.

The impact is jarring, but I manage to grab hold to both its horns to lessen the damage before using the momentum to slam the damn cow (?) into the ground.

I can hear the surprised chatter from the passerby when I slammed the cow down. I don't blame them, in fact, I was also as surprised as they are when I first noticed it earlier. I shifted my gaze toward the full moon in the darkening sky. Who would've thought the full moon would have this much effect on me? One moment I was struggling to push a cow to move, the next second I am shoving them forward with little effort. I even manages to wrestle down one of the more unruly cow.

Now let's see if I can wrestle down this one...

The cow (?) suddenly got back up, much faster than what I would expect from a body that meaty, as it once again tries to ram me. I'm still faster though as I once again grabbed hold onto its horns once again. Unlike before, the thing planted its feet on the ground, and lacking the momentum, I can't just slam it down like before.

"Ugh... stupid cow thing... stand down or I swear you'll be sukiyaki before tomorrow" I grunted out as I tried to push it back, but failing to do so as the cow is much stronger than me. Despite my best effort, it slowly pushed me back step by step. "Oh come on!" I want to reach out to the sword on my back, but if I take my hand off its horn I would probably get smashed before I can even draw the blade from its sheathe.

Then in a burst of strength, the cow thing swerved its head to the right in a fast motion, and not expecting that move, I was carried along with it before losing my grip on it, thus sending me flying away. I tumbled and rolled before I came to a stop just inside the nearby forest edges. "Ow, I'm gonna felt that one tomorrow" I ignore my aching body as I pull out my sword. "That's it! Animal cruelty be damned! I'm going to hurt it soo much!" I growled in anger.

"Calm down" A voice whispered to me from the forest.

Surprised at the presence of an unknown, I tensed and tightened my grip on the sword handle. "Who's there?"

"... A friend. Listen, that cow is possessed; it's not at fault for attacking you" The voice, clearly a female, told me from the shadows of the forest.

I tried to look around for the speaker, but she hides herself very well as I am unable to detect any sign of her presence. "Okay, then I'll beat the crap out of it then take it to Reimu and let her exorcise it after"

"Calm yourself. Don't let the moon change what you are" The voice scolded me.

"The moon... what...?" Then I remember how I been feeling restless even during the cow chase earlier and how I felt a surge of irritation whenever something doesn't go my way. This is the moon's effect? It... It's fine right? Nothing to be concerned about, having quick temper is not a big problem. But then...

Taking a deep breath, I suppressed down most of my temper, at least for a while. "Okay, talk and make it fast" My temper is still flaring, but I manage to clear my mind enough for me to think.

"Listen, I believe the thing that possesses that cow is a mere low level spirit, else I would've detected it the moment it entered the village. If that is true, then it would need some kind of medium to channel itself somewhere in the vicinity. If you get it away from the cow, you should be able to exorcise it without hurting the cow"

I nodded as I listened to the voice, that's actually a good idea. "What's the medium look like?"

"... I don't know"

I instantly get frustrated by the lack of information. I have a few choices of words to say to whoever this is for telling me for giving such a half-assed advice and falling short at the most important thing, but I squash the urge to bad mouth her since she did tried to help after all. "Right. Thanks for the info. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a possessed cow thing to beat down"

I can hear the voice sighing through the air. "Haah... very well, just try not to hurt it too badly"

"I'll try" I muttered back before I rushed out of the forest once again, sword in hand and ready to do some damage.

* * *

><p>The hidden girl sighed as she watched as the boy runs off away from her hiding place. She was honestly surprised when the chronicler managed to find her; the fact that she knows about her secret hiding place does not bode well with her, though probably it's a given considering her extensive knowledge of every being in Gensokyo. But then she told her about the boy's possible connection with the full moon and how it might affect him; her being surprised at the information is quite the understatement.<p>

The moment the chronicler bides her farewell, she quickly decided to take a break from her 'job' to check on the boy. It took her some time since she's avoiding the villagers' eyes, but she found him soon enough. When she first laid her eyes on him that day, the full moon is already hovering above the sky, so she's only half surprised to see him managing to wrestle down a cow.

From there, she observed him from the shadows, trying to see the possible influence he receives from the moon. The first and most obvious one was his enhanced strength. While he by no mean is as strong as her, he still become much stronger than an average human.

The second one, the one that concerned her, is the slight change in his personality. At first it was very unnoticeable since the boy acted the same as always when he helped the villagers with the escaped cattle problem. But then she notices how the boy seemed to frown a lot more compared to his usual happy-go-lucky attitude. The fact is hammered down when the boy chooses to use his newfound strength without holding back to subdue the cows, even with eyes watching him. Then there's the victorious smirk every time he manages to subdue a cow. He's clearly acting more brashly compared to his usual self.

... Then again, she herself is in the same boat as him though she got a much tighter rein on her emotions during the full moon, but there are still some occasions when she slips up...

Trailing him a bit further before heading back home, she quickly scolded herself for letting this minor spirit to enter the village. She could just jump in to handle this herself, but then she would expose herself to the villagers, something she have tried not to do for years. So it's a good thing the boy is here, he should be able to handle this without her having to expose herself. Let's just hope he'll be able to end this incident before his rampant emotions causes him to put down that cow for good.

* * *

><p>The cow is terrorising the nearby villagers by the time I came out of the forest. There doesn't seem to be any fatalities just yet as a number of them are still trying to fight back with farming tools.<p>

... What a stupid thing to do...

I quickly shake my head to clear my head. Dammit, my thought is running haywire. What kind of arrogant line of thinking was that? Anyway, time to jump back into the fight. It would not do for me to just stand in the line while there's a fight going on! Plus I owe that cow a massive payback!

I start running toward the cow. Pushing my feet to go as fast as they could, I quickly cleared the 20 metres distance. "Guess who's back you damn cow!" I roared before I tackled the cow away from the villagers.

The cow roared in pain as it gets sent hurtling away.

"Kid, you're okay!" The man from before shouted out, surprised at my intervention.

"Yeah, I'm good, and pissed, and apparently a bit insane because of the moon, but that's beside the point. Anyway, this cow is possessed. Any idea what kind of cursed item could have caused this?"

"Well, uh..."

The cow roared as it gets back up and starts charging at me again.

"Take your time; I've got a score to settle with this guy" I rushed to meet the cow once again, but this time, I'm ready to hurt this thing so bad it'll wish it never attacked me. A pierced eye should be a good start to the beat up.

I levelled my sword to its eye level...

But wait...

The cow is innocent. The evil spirit is the cause.

It's NOT my style to beat up the innocent!

Having a sudden change of heart, I quickly draw back my sword, and just like that my mind suddenly cleared, and for the first time I actually notice the rapidly closing proximity between me and the possessed cow. Panicking slightly, but not having time to move out of the way, I jumped, and landed my feet square on its face.

It roared in annoyance and it soon become obvious that my kick is not enough to stop its movement. "Uh-oh" I yelped as I quickly use my left hand to grab hold to its horn and use the leverage to firmly plant my feet on its face before quickly pulling myself onto its back. The moment I landed on its back, the possessed cow started trashing wildly. "Whoa! Bad cow! Heel!" I yelled as my possessed ride tries to throw me off. It would've succeeded easily if not for a conveniently placed rope around its neck that I use as a rein to hold on to. But the rope alone is not enough for me to stay on top of this cow; it's only a matter of time before it throws me off.

I glared daggers at its unprotected head. Oh how easy it would be if I just bash it's skull in... My sword may not be able to cut, but it should be enough to give this thing some serious brain damage if I keep hitting its head until it caves. So why am I not doing it...?

My dark thought was put aside when I notice one of the villagers waving his hands wildly to get my attention. "Hey kid! The bell! Around her neck! Get it off her!" He yelled at me.

Bell? Suppressing my haywire mind, I remember the owner telling me about how he gave the cow a bell to easily find it. Said bell is tied around its neck using a rope, the same rope I am currently holding on to. Lucky me, this should be easy. Would be easier if my sword could actually cut though it, I'll have to untie this rope by hands, however to do that I will need both my hands.

I quickly sheathed my sword back... or at least that was the plan. The moment I tried to do that, the cow thing buckled upward hard. The sudden shift in movement makes me drop my sword.

The cow thing then let out a roar before it starts running off again. But this time, it just runs in a straight line past the villagers and away from the village. "Kid! The village border is just past those trees! Just get off it!" I barely heard the yell amidst the thundering stomp the cow thing makes from each of its step as it barrelled forward in high speed.

Looking ahead, I saw a group of trees about 40 feet away. Past those trees means I've left the village border, so past that is a hell lot of youkai that want to eat me. I need to get off this cow now!

...

But then what'll happen to the cow? Will it stay possessed? Will it be devoured the moment it left the village? It's probably the same fate for it even if it stays in the village, it'll surely be turned into food when it can no longer produce milk. It's just a cattle right? So why do I feel bad about abandoning it, I mean her?

For a second there I hesitated to just abandon the cow to her fate, and in that short second, the cow is already 30 foot away from the trees. It let out another roar, this one sounded happy as it getting closer to the village border. Hearing it make such a triumphant sound makes me get pissed once again. There's no way in hell I'm letting it get away this easy!

Grabbing hold of the rope with both hands, I pull hard at them. In response the cow reared its head back when the rope digs deep into its neck, it slowed down a bit but is still going strong.

At this point it's only 20 metres left to the trees so I didn't have much time left. "God dammit you damned thing! I said STOP!" Rationality flew out of my head as anger once again filled my mind. Gripping the rope so hard that my hands started to bleed, I jumped off to the right side of the cow and pulled on the damnable rope as hard as I can.

...I must be out of my mind for doing this, but right now I just don't care!

The cow veered to the right as I started pulling, but it's still not enough. So ignoring the ground scraping my foot, I dig my heels down into the dirt and pulled once again. The momentum change from this brash stunt is much more noticeable as the thing actually loses it balance and started heading to the right. But that's not enough! I want it to STOP!

Letting my back rest on the thing's hide, I use my body as a lever to spin the damn thing back. It roared, this time in pain and desperation. The thing's neck turned at such a sharp angle that I won't be surprised if I just snapped its neck, but I really don't care anymore as I pull on it even more before slamming it face down to the ground.

Taking a breather while observing my handiwork, I observe its chest moving up and down. The thing is still breathing, and soon enough, it starts to struggle to stand up once again. I'll be damned to give it a chance to get up again. Quickly getting to its face, I forcefully push its head up. It sneered at me, but I ignore it as I focus my attention on the red bell hanging on its neck. It's connected by a thin ribbon-like strand that went around the rope around its neck. That ribbon looks much easier to snap than the rope, so I did just that. Grabbing hold off the bell, I easily tore it off.

The effect is instantaneous.

Dark mists suddenly disperse the thing's body. It swirled upward before it all rushed at me, or to be more specific, to the bell I am currently holding.

"Throw it away!"

I heard the same mysterious voice from before once again. As much as I would like to find out who the speaker is, the advice she just gave me seems very sound for this situation. I quickly throw the bell away with all my strength. With the moon's effect, the cursed bell is hurled across the distance, landing somewhere in the forests past the village's edge. The dark mist soon follows suit.

I watched as the dark mists whirled past me and flew further and further away until it completely dissipate in the distance. Now the problem is gone, I scoured the area looking for the owner of the voice that helped me twice now. But as expected, I found no one, for only the sound of rustling leaves remained in the area. "Moo..." That and a moo... Huh?

Quickly turning around, I saw a harmless looking dairy cow trying unsteadily to get back on its feet. It's... I mean her head is no longer adorned with a goat horns and her eyes are no longer slitted. The cow look at me for a few seconds before it mooed once again.

"Uuh... Taniko?" I called out to her as I slowly approached. Don't want to scare her even further, I did just beat her up after all. Thankfully she did not back away from me as I approached her; in fact, she even nudged her head toward me. Taking that as a good sign, I lightly place my hand on top of her head and lightly rubbed it. "C'mon girl. Let's get you home" With my enhanced strength I easily help the cow back to her feet before I lead her back to her owner.

* * *

><p>"Truly Shirou-san. You amaze me once again" Hieda-san commented as she watches sips on her tea. "While it's surprising that an evil spirit managed to possess one of our livestock, I'd say you handled it quite nicely despite your lack of experience dealing with such cases"<p>

"You call me being all wrapped up like this a job well done?" I growled at her, showing the layers of bandages that tightly wrapped my hands and legs.

Apparently the number of bruises and blisters I accumulated during my scuffle with that cow while negligent is quite numerous. The moment Hieda-san saw me when I walked back to her house after the whole cow fiasco is over, she quickly had one of her servants treating my wounds. I would've been wrapped up like a mummy if I didn't refuse the full body treatment, only letting them treat my hands and legs since they're the most injured part of my body.

"Careful now, your emotions is flaring again" She calmly chided me.

I chewed my lip lightly. "Grh... I hate the full moon..." To my annoyance, I found out that even outside of combat situation I still get pissed off quite easily. The moment I felt the slightest annoyance my temper quickly flared and I need to quickly rein it in before I lashed out at nearby people. Unfortunately, it's a bit hard to do that since my 'episodes' are quite random, so once in a while I just snapped at people. That is why I excused myself quickly after I gave back the cow to her owner. Thankfully I don't snap at him back then, my rep is shaky enough after that brawl with the possessed cow. I'm already getting a lot of weird stares from the villagers who watched the fight. But at least the owner and his employees are thankful enough for saving his cow.

"_I don't know whether you're insane or not. But if you are insane, then you're a good lunatic __in my book. Thanks for the help kid" _That's what the owner said to me.

After that I bid my farewell and quickly run off. I later happen to passed by Hieda-san's house so decided to stop by since I run off on her earlier, and now this happens...

"So other than your increased ability and mood swings, is there anything else about you that changes because of the moon?"

At the question, I glanced to the wet spots on the floor. I spilled my tea there when the cup cracked and break just from me trying to hold it. This is so annoying, and it happens on the day when I cannot leave the village? What a pain... "Hopefully not. I don't need any more problems that what I already have"

Hieda-san nodded sagely at that. "Then let's assume nothing else changes for now. But nonetheless, you shouldn't ignore the fact that the moon does benefit you, side effects aside. Won't you agree that this incident is a good advertisement for your freelancing business?"

"Probably, though I don't know if that was fame or infamy that I was getting back there..."

She shakes her head. "The villagers know better than to mistrust you just because you were able to fight evenly with a minor spirit. It would be a different story if you caused a lot of collateral, but you didn't. So there's no need to worry about it."

"That's good to know..."

We chatted for a while longer, but soon I have to leave since it's already quite late. Hieda-san escorted me out where she then gave me a pair of slippers since my previous footwear is now in tatters. She said it's a reward for the job well done. I won't say no to that, so I accepted it.

As I was getting ready to leave, a thought popped into my mind. "Hieda-san, you wouldn't happen to be helping me out with the cow thing did you?"

The girl tilted her head slightly in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When I was having trouble with the thing, someone whispered me advices while in hiding. Was that you?"

"No, I never left my home after you left. But why do you asked me?"

"Well..." I lightly scratched my head in remembrance. "Her voice sounded familiar... but I can't seem to remember to whom it belonged to"

"I see, sorry I can't be of help here"

"No it's fine. Have a good night Hieda-san, until next time"

"Indeed. A good night to you too" She lightly bowed down at me before she turns around and walked back into her home.

I politely waited until she entered her home before I start heading back home.

During my walk home the mysterious voice from before once again popped in my mind. I keep repeating it over and over in my head, trying to match it with the people I've known ever since I got here. I know for a fact that the owner of the voice is someone I know, but why is it so goddamn hard to remember?

"Hey Shirou!"

A kid's voice called out to me, interrupting my thought. Turning around I saw two familiar kids I've become acquainted with in the village. "Hayate? And is that Kasumi hiding behind you?" When I said her name the little girl poked her head from behind her brother. "What are you two doing out so late? Aren't you supposed to be home by now?"

"I don't want to leave my doll behind..." The little girl answered my question.

"Doll?"

"It's just a stuffed doll our father gets her for her last birthday. But more important than that, can you get my ball down from that tree?" The brother pointed at the nearby tree right behind him. Looking up at its branches, I saw a black and white ball stuck on it.

"My doll too please" And next to the ball, just above it is a small doll, also caught in the branches.

"Okay, a ball I can understand, but how did that doll get up there?"

"My brother threw it up there, trying to get the ball down"

"Hehe, my bad, I thought I could nail it in the first try-Whoa!" The kid is surprised when a loud crack reverberates in the area. Reason is I just planted my fist onto the tree trunk.

My punch is strong enough to shake the whole tree. Leaves and branches start falling off as it shook violently, and along with those are a ball and a small doll. The latter item I caught with my hand before it dropped to the ground. "Here you go Kasumi" I offered the doll to Kasumi and let her take it herself to make sure I won't hurt her by trying to hand the thing to her. "And Hayate, I'm telling what you just did to your teacher"

"Thank you Shirou" Kasumi happily take the doll from my hand.

"What! Oh please don't! She's so going to headbutt me!" The boy complained.

"You reap what you sow. Just be glad I'm not the one punishing you right now because you'll end up like this" I pointed at the deep indentation on the side of the tree. I probably overdid it a bit, but my annoyance spiked when the kid told me what he did to his sister's doll. I needed to do something to let it out before I hurt anyone, so the tree became my unfortunate victim. But since that also dropped the stuck items it's a win-win situation I'd say.

"You sure? I'm pretty sure Keine-sensei's headbutt could actually knock down that tree"

My temper flared once again when the kid talked back to me. "And I pretty damn sure could punch through this tree if you don't be quiet soon!" I raised my voice at them. When I saw the two backing away from me in fright I instantly get flooded with regret and shame for what I just did. "I'm sorry. It's been a weird day for me, and the full moon's not helping"

Hearing my apology, the two kids stopp looking at me with fright in their eyes, though Kasumi still clings to her brother. "The moon?" Kasumi asked me.

"Yeah. Apparently it hates me, so it to gives me the temper of a cranky old man whenever I look at it"

The children laughed at my explanation. I'm just glad that they accepted that explanation and hope they won't push further into that. How am I supposed to explain that the full moon affects me in a non human way? It'll probably scare them off if I said it like that.

"So Shirou, I wonder what Keine-Sensei will think if I told her that you raised your voice at us?" Hayate said with a big smirk on his face.

The answer to that is very easy to guess. I can already feel the phantom pain from the headbutt she just did in my mind. "Ah crap..." I muttered in realization. Then I remember that I got kids audience in front of me and I just cursed. "Ah double crap" I groaned.

"And now you use bad words! Keine-Sensei's not gonna be happy with that" The smirk on the boy's face is getting wider and wider.

"... okay, I know blackmail when I see one. What do you want kid?"

"You keep quiet about the shoe thing to Keine-Sensei and I'll keep quiet about this. Deal?"

"... So tempted to say no, but since its two head butts against one, then fine... It's a deal. No pinkie promise, I might break your finger if we tried doing that now" I can't help but smirk when the kid quickly lowered his hands away from me.

"Fine. Then it's a man's promise. I won't tell if you won't tell" The kid say with a finger pointing at me.

I chuckled as I slowly shake my head, amused at the kid's choice of words. "Okay, man's promise it is"

Hayate nodded enthusiastically. "Great. Then the one who break the promise will eat a thousand—no two thousand needles!"

But then Kasumi stepped aside from her hiding place behind her brother. "...I'm not a man. And neither am I in trouble like you two. So I could tell Keine-Sensei right?" She said to us in her usual quiet voice, with the most innocent smile befitting of a small child like her. From where I'm standing that smile looks so evil...

The same thought must be running on Hayate's head as he quickly fall down to his knees and bow down to his sister. "Oh come on sis! Not you! Please don't tell sensei!" He begged her with his face on the ground. Pathetic really, but it's not really an underrated action since the other valid option is a very painful corporal punishment delivered via head blow.

"... I won't tell, but promise you'll stop being mean to me" She told her brother.

"Okay fine. Anything. Just don't tell sensei!"

"It's a promise then. And you too Shirou-san"

I tensed slightly when she turns her attention towards me. "Why me too?" I groaned before squatted lower so I can see her at eye level. "So? What do you want from me?"

At my questions, the girl shifted her eyes down to the ground. "... Play with me... and my brother..." Her usually quiet voice is less audible than usual.

"Come again?"

"... Please play with me and my brother some more" She repeated what she said in a slightly louder voice.

"Play with you two? Didn't I already do that once in a while after school?"

At my question, Kasumi raised her eyes to look at me with the most determination I've ever seen from the little girl. "Just with me and my brother... No one else..."

So she's asking me to spend more time with her and her brother? I guess I could do that. I never said this to anyone, but I do have a soft spot for this girl since her timid personality reminded me of Suzuna back at the orphanage. So the answer to her request comes to me very easily. "Fine, then I'll promise you this; whenever I'm not busy with my freelancer job, you can hire me to work for you for free. You do that and I'll do whatever you wanted for the whole day, okay?"

The girl blinked owlishly at the answer I gave her. I admit it's probably a bit too dramatic for my usual self, but I'm blaming this moment of spontaneity to the moon. "If you don't get it basically I'll play with you whenever you want, as long I'm not busy" I quickly simplify it for the little girl.

The girl quickly shook her head. "N-no, I understood it the first time. Thank you very much" She bowed down gratefully towards me.

"Hey, how come you only say that to my sister?" The brother quickly complained.

"Because you're too much of a brat"

"Tch, you can be so uncool sometimes"

"Yeah-yeah..."

* * *

><p>She stood above the broken pieces of the bell. Now that its vessel is destroyed, the dark spirit feebly tries to flee away from her, away from the village before the full moon ended and it returned to being a powerless spirit.<p>

As tempted she was to just annihilate the spirit completely, it was not her job to do so for the task belonged to the ones who worked for death. For that reason she begrudgingly let it go. Surely it knows better now than to try to hurt her precious villages any more, if left alone it most probably will stay far away from the village until a Death God manages to corner it and harvested it to be judged by Yama.

Now that the distraction is over, it's time for her to go back to her previous task. There's still plenty to do and so little time for her to complete it be before the moon goes down at dawn.

As she makes her way back, she absentmindedly thought about the quick alterations she did to the boy's past. It's unfair of her to write off their meeting from the timeline, but the boy shouldn't notices it since his mind is clouded by his emotions. She of course rewrote it back straight away after that and by doing so she ensures that he won't recognise her voice back there.

Hehe, he'll probably be frustrated for not being able to identify her. Maybe she should stop by tomorrow and ask him about today's event. It would be quite amusing indeed.

Landing quietly on top of a tall tree near her place, she takes a deep breath as she gazes at the full moon. Her red eyes closing as she allowed herself to have a quick moment of peace to enjoy the night weather.

Truly this peace is the best... and she'll work hard to ensure this peace will last as long as it can... if not forever...

* * *

><p><strong>Day 26-End<strong>

**To people who doesn't know who's the mysterious girl who helped him in this chapter, then your Touhou knowledge is lacking!**

**What do you think of the chapter? please review and let me know. **

**Btw, your reviews does matters! ****Point out mistakes to me and I'll fix em up and I'll try not to do it again in future chapters.**


	11. Day 34: Meeting Another Shrine Maiden

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Technically this short chapter is done about 2 weeks ago, but then Guild Wars 2 came out and... yeah... my bad.**

**Anyway, enjoy this short chapter for now, it'll serve as the prelude to the next chapter, which is going to be another huge chapter.**

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><p><strong>Meeting another Shrine Maiden; The Case of a Lost Child?<strong>

The sound of the door creaking open does little to rouse the slumbering boy. Stirring slightly in his futon, he rolled away from the sound and resume sleeping once again, completely ignorant of the two soon to be intruders outside his house. One abashedly went inside the house unhindered by proper manners while the other one lingered outside as she poked her head into the house. "Um... Reimu-san, is it fine for us to just barge in like this?" said intruder asked the other.

"Just get in" The shrine maiden told her.

"...Sorry for intruding..." The green haired girl muttered timidly while she walked in.

The response to said politeness is a light snore from inside the house. "Zzzz..."

"See, there he is, figures that he's still sleeping" The red-white shrine maiden walked to the sleeping boy and gently shakes him awake. "Oi Shirou, its almost noon, wake up"

"Un... 90 more minutes... Zzzz..."

"Well, don't say I didn't try...**Ying-Yang Sanctifier Orb**!"

A giant black and white orb appeared in the middle of the room before falling down on top of the sleeping boy. Fortunately for the boy, the orb attack lacked most of the punch if one compares it to the previous time she did the deed. But unfortunately for the boy, it still had quite the punch.

The boy grumbled as he crawled out from his hard pressed futon. "... I have half a mind to return fire one of these days..."

Reimu expertly dodged the animosity directed toward her. "Yeah, whatever. Now get up, you have a guest" She stepped aside to let said 'guest' to appear in his field of vision.

"Good evening" The other girl politely bowed down in greeting.

Looking at his guest, he blinked once, and then twice, and then a third time before he turn back towards the red-white shrine maiden. "... Just how hard did you hit me this time? Because I could've swear I'm seeing two shrine maiden in the house"

* * *

><p>"Here you go" I place a small plate filled with a small stack of jelly bean cakes onto the table.<p>

"Thanks for the food!" Reimu cheerfully said before she starts to dig in with the force of a thousand starved souls... or something like that as she devours the cakes.

"Thank you" The other shrine maiden on the other hand, is a bit more reserved as she take a small bite and paused to chew before she swallows.

I watch the two shrine maiden bite into the jelly bean cake I've been saving up for a special occasion. Hah... This is not exactly a special occasion, but then again, I can't exactly say no when a drooling Reimu all but demanded to be fed those.

Note to self, hide the good stuff away from the sight of any 'guests'.

The green haired shrine maiden paused to stare in awe at what she just ate. "This is a high grade sweet from the village's shop. How did you get this?" She asked me.

"Did a job for them, and they paid me with these. So... can anyone tell me why I deserve that rude wakeup call earlier?"

"Hm~~~ this is so good~~" Reimu mumbled in utter glee before she resumes her task of devouring the rest of the cakes. It's pretty clear I won't be getting an answer from this shrine maiden.

Thankfully, the other shrine maiden stopped eating as she addresses my question. "I'm realy sorry for the intrusion Shirou-san. But I really need the help"

"Oh, okay? So why is Reimu with you?" I glanced at the red-white shrine maiden who's still chomping down on the cakes without paying heed to the conversation.

"I found her standing in front of your door when I came to visit. She told me what happens, and I decided to help. It's best to nip any kind of potential incident in the bud after all. Hey Shirou, more please"

I glance at the plate only to see it devoid of any tasty treat. Sighing tiredly, I stand up and take the plate to refill it. Not bothering to cut the leftover cake myself, I just dump the whole thing on the plate and bring it back with two small knives. "... Go help yourself" I said as I place the plate onto the table once again.

Reimu's eyes gleamed in joy as she lifted the knives up. "Don't mind if I do" She quickly cut a big piece as she start eating again.

"Right... anyway, so what do you want me to do?"

The green haired shrine maiden nodded as we resume talking again, though I do notice her eyes lingering almost longingly to the cake beside her. "I need you to help me find someone. She ran away three days ago and she hasn't returned since. I'm really worried..."

Her request surprised me. I've done some odd jobs ever since I got here, but looking for a missing person? This is certainly a new thing. "Oh... well I don't mind helping if you wanted me to, but why ask me? Reimu can fly can't she? Won't she have an easier time looking for this person?"

"Well... she probably expected me to ask Reimu for help to look for her, so she might hide herself whenever either one of us approached her. And unfortunately for us, she's really good at hiding..."

"I see... I guess I could help you look though I don't know how much help I would be. So what does this missing person look like?"

"Well... um..."

"Just look for the frogs" Reimu interjected before she quickly popped another piece of cake into her mouth.

I can't help but to repeat the name of the amphibian the shrine maiden mentioned. "Frogs?"

She quietly nodded with her mouthful. Good to see her still having some manners to not eat with her mouthful. She audibly swallows the cake before she start talking again. "Frog is her most defining trait. Just look for a small child that wears a lot of frog related clothing. I'm sure you'll have no trouble identifying her this way"

"Sadly there's nothing I can say to deny that..." The other shrine maiden sighed in resignation.

"Huh...?" I didn't really get it, but I guess I could keep an eye for a frog girl, though I didn't really understand just how one can associate someone by frogs, just because of their clothing. Then again, I never really notice anyone in the village wearing frog things, so maybe she is THAT easy to spot.

A clattering sound rang through the room as Reimu put down the knife into an empty plate. "Hey Shirou, can I have some tea please?"

Since she actually asked this time, I nodded as I stand up. "Sure, just give me a minute"

Three cup of steaming hot tea later, I found myself walking out of my house with the two shrine maidens. Closing the door behind me, I turn toward the two. "So how should we search for this... missing person?"

"We'll split up of course. I'll go look around the mountain while she'll search around the forest" Reimu answered before pointing her index finger at me. "As for you, just stick inside the village and ask around for a frog girl"

"I guess I could do that. But what should I do if I find her here?"

"Just bring her back to your place. We'll check back here if we don't find her on our own"

"Okay... but just to be clear, no more snacks for you when you do stop by again"

"Tch, fine. Now let's go. The sooner we find her the faster I can go home. Really, the shrine's reputation would be smeared if a worshiper comes by only to find an empty shrine" Reimu grumbled as she starts to flew off.

Hearing her complain, me and the other shrine maiden shared a quick glance to each other.

'_What worshipper?'_ Is the unspoken question that runs through my mind.

The shrine maiden girl didn't say anything as she shakes her head, but even then I could almost hear the answer in my mind._ 'There are none'._

This silent conversation takes place no more than a second. The green haired shrine maiden clothed in the white and blue outfit gave me a tiny smile as she slowly starts backing away from me. "Is it really okay Shirou-san? Reimu might have overlooked it, but you do look pretty tired"

"Don't worry about it. Helping people is what I'm doing for a living. No reason to stop doing it today"

"I see..." She softly kicks off the ground and she too started to hover away though she's still facing me. "I'll check back later in the afternoon, but please, don't push yourself to hard" After saying that, she waited until I gave her a small nod as a confirmation before she too flew off in the opposite direction from Reimu.

I waited until she disappeared out of sight before I let out a wide yawn.

Honestly I'm really tired today. Yesterday was filled with me running around the village doing random jobs for the villagers. Actually, it's been like this for the whole week; apparently I become super popular after that stunt with the cow during the full moon and now a lot more people wanted my help for stuff. Today is my first day of rest in a while, but I guess that will have to be postponed for a bit.

I stretched my sore muscle from yesterday's heavy labour.

Okay, time to start searching. Where should I start though?

In response to that question, my stomach grumbled out an answer. It's intelligible, but its meaning is very clear. First stop, the ramen stand. Who know? Maybe I'll find her there? Everyone's bound to be hungry right?

* * *

><p>"Sorry, can't help you there" The shop keeper told me when I asked if she saw any 'frog girl'.<p>

"I see..., well, thanks for the help nonetheless"

"Yeah, good luck kid"

Walking away from the shop, I let out a tired sigh. I figure that if I asked the villagers around the busy part of the village someone bound to have an answer regarding this missing person. It's past midday now, I've gone through the farm area, the village square, and just now the market yet so far I still got nothing about this missing person.

I'm seriously considering just head back home and take a nap; after all, it's not like this person is guaranteed to be hiding in the village. But then if I do that, then Reimu might hit me again with that damn Ying-Yang ball if she finds out that I was lazing around during the search.

So yeah, this sucks.

Currently, my situation is akin to searching for a possible needle in the haystack. If only there's a giant magnet I could use to find this needle, or at the very least confirm that there really is a needle in the haystack. But where would I find this giant magnet?

"Shirou-san?"

I turn around when I heard my name being called. And there approaching from behind me, is the familiar figure of a certain school teacher. "Hm? Keine-sensei? What are you doing? I mean, don't you have class right now?"

Keine nodded in regards to my query. "I do. I'm taking the children around the village. Thought it might kept them more entertained" She gestures behind her, and there indeed a number of children playing around in the area. Some of the kids that I'm familiar with happily waves their hand at me when they saw me. One in particular stepped forward and politely bowed down towards me.

"Kasumi, I told you there's no need to be that polite towards me didn't I?" I bend down on my knees to talk to the familiar girl.

"I'm sorry..." She bowed down again, this time in apology before she backed away and return to the group of kids.

"That's not what I... Ah forget it" I can't help but to sigh at her behaviour. Such a nice kid, completely different from her brother. Speaking of which, where is he? Scanning the group of kids, I notice that Hayate is not the only one missing; about a handful has gone missing. "Um, Keine-sense, did you by any chance lose some of the kids?"

Keine tiredly rubbed her forehead in annoyance. "Unfortunately so. It seems that some have taken an early leave due to my lack of supervision. I'll be sure to properly punish them for such act of disrespect..." The weather suddenly turns cold as the usually gentle school teacher let out a very dangerous chuckle. Gods have mercy on those children, because this school teacher will not.

Thankfully for everyone in the vicinity, me included, the dangerous atmosphere is quick to subside. "So anyway, how are you today Shirou-san? I heard you've been busy this past week"

"... It's been an interesting week"

"I'd assume so. So what's today agenda?"

"Well... believe it or not, someone asked me to search for a missing person this morning"

That seems to have caught Keine's attention as her eyes focused on me. "A missing person?"

I nodded. "Yeah, apparently a few days ago she ran away from home and hasn't come home since, so this shrine maiden asked me to help find her"

"Shrine maiden? Not the Hakurei one I'd assume?"

"No, although Reimu's also helping with the search, she's not the one that brought this matter to me"

"I see... a runaway huh... and you got this task from a shrine maiden..." Keine mumbled as she glances backward toward the kids. "... I think you've found your missing person..." She muttered with a sigh.

Now that's unexpected, not an unwelcome one though. "Really? Where?" I asked her.

Keine pointed toward one of the small kids in her group and then shifted it upward. "On that tree, hiding behind the leaves" Following the direction she's pointing at, I manages to make out the figure of a girl that is squatting on one of the tree branches. "She's been following my class since this morning. If you can take her off my hands I would be very grateful" Keine told me.

"I'd do that, but are you sure she's the missing girl?" I asked just to be certain.

"I'm positive" She answered with the air of full confidence behind her. "Buta word of advice if I may; do be wary of that one. While she's not one to actively cause trouble, she's quite a troublemaker in her own right. So be careful with her and... Just pray for the best" She concluded with a rather uncharacteristic grimace.

Seeing Keine acted so unsure like this worries me, but before I can say anything about it, she already turns around and calls out to the children. "All right kids, break's over so let's get going. We'll be taking a look at the farmland next" She said to them.

"Okay Sensei"The remaining children chorused.

She then turns to face me again. "That girl will probably try to follow us again. Try to convince her to go with you if you can, but whatever you do, do not try to force her" She whispered to me before she walks past me. "Good luck" She muttered as she went past.

The kids soon follow suit, some of them paused by me as they said good bye, one brat even tried to do a flying kick at me, which I of course move out of the way. So after helping him get back to his feet and saying bye to the rest of the kids, I hang back in the area, keeping an eye on the tree the girl was hiding on while pretending not to be interested.

It didn't take long before a small girl dropped from the tree and landed in a squat onto the ground. The second I got a clear look at her, I instantly know that she's the missing girl that I am looking for. '_Look for the frogs'_, that's what Reimu told me before she runs off and now that I'm looking at the girl, I instantly understood what she means by that. Still squatting on the ground, wearing a simple blue dress adorned with frog prints and a light brown wide-brimmed hat with what looks a lot like a pair of frog eyes sticking out at the top, the girl really does have a lot in common with that certain green amphibian.

Afraid that she really will leap away if left unattended, I quickly announce my presence to her. "Hi there" I said while waving towards her to show that I'm addressing her.

At my voice, the frog girl turns her head towards me. As her gaze fall upon me, I saw her eyes narrowed as she curiously looks at me. "Hm? Who are you?" She asked me.

Wow, someone who doesn't recognise my face. This is a rare blessing ever since the tengu article that turns me infamous in just a day. But this does complicates things though, how to explain things to her without turning her away? Keine did mention this girl can be quite difficult to handle. "My name is Shirou. And you are...?"

"I'm Suwako. So what do you want Shirou?" Her tone is playful and she's all smile, but I can sense some weird oppressive feeling coming from her as she questioned me. Better tread carefully here...

"I was asked by someone to bring you home. She's been worried sick since you haven't came home for days"

Hearing my intentions, the girl's face instantly soured. "Aw shucks. Who asked you to find me? It's Sanae right? Because no way it's Kanako"

"It was a shrine maiden with green hair"

"Yeah, that's Sanae. Dammit, for her to ask a stranger to find me, Kanako been rubbing off on her" She complained out loud, completely uncaring that I'm within hearing range of her rambling.

"Who's..." I tried to ask who this 'Kanako' is, but then...

"Okay, I'm outta here" She casually said before she jumped up, straight to the roof of the nearby house. Landing with a silent thud, the girl look down at me. "Bye-bye suspicious stranger" She grin cheekily before she leap off to the other side.

"H-hey!" I run after her. Darting around the corner of the house, I spotted a tiny figure perched on top of a distant rooftop. "Wait a second!" I called out to her as I run towards her.

The frog girl turns to look back at me. "Then catch me if you can" She called out before she starts jumping... no, hopping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Grrh..." So much for taking it easy, this is going to be yet again another very physically demanding day.

I run after her.

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><p>"You're tired already?"<p>

I turn to face her with my face dripping wet from the stream. "I'm not tired, I'm just taking a quick breather" I grumbled before I look down on the stream and start splashing more water to my face.

The cold water does little to my exhaustion, but it does lighten the stinging pain from the bruises on my face. That's what I got for attempting to dive catch the girl, one second I thought I got her, then the next second I skidded on the dirt face first. Having quite literally eaten dirt, I decided to forgo the chase in favour of washing my face in the nearby stream. As I wipe the water off my face, I am surprised to find the girl crouching down on the river bank across of me, grinning happily.

"So? Are we done playing?"

"I don't think 'we' is the right choice of word there... Anyway, since you had your fun, can you please stop running and let me take you home?"

"Hm... nope"

I let out a groan before I lightly scrub my tenderized face with my hand. Peering down onto the stream, I can see a large red mark scraped all across my face alongside a number of scratches.

Looking back up, I notice the girl still casually standing in front of me across the river. If I move quick enough surely I can grab her before she runs away again, either that or she'll just hop away again leaving me eating dirt once again.

While I was considering the pros and cons of trying to grab her, my target suddenly hopped across the river, landing right beside me."So how do you know Sanae?" Her face closes in towards me as she asks the question.

Taken aback by her forwardness, I quickly backed away, which in my case is me falling on my rear. Scrambling back up, I eyed her carefully, trying to discern what kind of games she's playing. "Sanae...? You mean that shrine maiden? I didn't know her at all, not until this morning at least"

"So you're such a nice guy that you aid even a stranger?"

"Not exactly... Helping people is actually my job in the village"

The girl looks at me in disbelieve. "... What a weird occupation"

I shrugged. "It's a living. So can you please let me take you home? Or at the very least follow me back to my place and wait there until that shrine maiden came back? She said she's going to check in there after sunset"

"I dunno... one must never follow a stranger home after all" Though she said such a considerable line, the large grin on her face clearly shows that she's not worried at all about doing so. She's clearly baiting me here, and unfortunately for me, all I can do is blindly take the bait.

I sighed as I rubbed my head. "What do you want?"

* * *

><p>The girl is radiating happiness as she eyed the huge plate of dango in front of her. Not wasting any time, she quickly take a stick and bit the chewy snack. "This is so good" She squealed between bites.<p>

I let out another sigh as I watch this frog girl, Suwako she said her name was, eat the sticks of dango with full gusto. Seriously, wanting food in return for her cooperation, I'd like to think that it was a fair deal, but my nearly depleted money pouch says otherwise. I absent-mindedly take one stick and bite one of the sticky balls into my mouth. "... Not bad. But I'd say the jelly bean cake from that shop is better" I commented between chews.

"Really? Do you have any?"

"I had them, but I gave them all to the shrine maidens earlier this morning. Well, Reimu ate the most, but still..."

"Sanae did? Dammit, that's not fair" The frog girl complain with her cheek puffed out, whether it's full of air or dango I'll never know and neither do I want to know.

"I'll save some for you next time"

The girl pulled out a now clean dango stick out of her mouth and pointed it at me. "You better. And make sure Kanako don't get any okay?"

"Uh... okay? So... why do you run away from home?"

The girl scoffed before answering. "Kanako is being a pain. Seriously, I was playing around as usual, but then she shows up and starts scolding me for wasting time event though she herself has been doing nothing for the whole week. It's so typical of her, so getting fed up by the unjust treatment I left. After that I guess I was having too much fun, so I hadn't bothered coming back"

"I-I see..."Quite the rebel isn't she? I'm so glad the kids back at the orphanage are not like her, else the matron would be frothing from the mouth trying to deal with her.

A light clattering sound can be heard as the girl drop the last empty dango stick to the plate. "Ah... thanks for the food" She muttered while rubbing her stomach happily. At this point I was half expecting her to bolt out of the door, but she proves me wrong when she leaned on the table to stare at me. "So you're a freelancer was it? How come I've never heard about you before?" She asked in barely concealed interest.

I absentmindedly scratched my head. "It was on the tengu's papers... you never read them?"

She quickly shakes her head. "Nah, I just asked them straight away. It's much easier than reading"

"You asked them directly?"

"Yup, and they're just too happy to share their latest gossip with me"

"Uh-huh..." I get the part about asking directly from the source, what I don't get is how the heck she knows the tengu's? Better yet, where do the tengu lives? Do the live in cave, or nest, or houses? I slowly imagine Aya sleeping on a pile of hay and branches... "Hnrkt!" I nearly laugh out loud at the resulting image.

"...? What's so funny?"

"I-it's nothing. Anyway, about me... well where do I start..." After that, I told her where I came from and how I got here. The moment I mentioned I came from outside of Gensokyo, the frog girl's eyes are shining with excitement. Any of my concern of her fleeing the scene is quick to settle as the girl all but raptly listened to my story.

When I finished talking, she have leaned in so much that she's now sitting on top of the table."So you're from the outside world? That is neat. We also came from the outside world you know, Me, Sanae, and Kanako"

Now that is news for me, a pleasant one in fact as now I possibly have someone to relate to. "Really? When did you get here?"

"About two years ago give or take a few months. Man... It was such a crazy week when we first arrived. What with the shrine takeover and Kanako's scheming. And then after that Sanae went all gung-ho on all the youkai. It was fun"

The door to my house swung open. "I most certainly did NOT!" The green haired shrine maiden roared as while she charges into the house.

"Actually you did" I heard Reimu's voice even before she too entered my house."But really now, I spent half a day flying all over the place and somehow you're the one to actually found her. Hah... Shirou, you got anything to drink?"

"I got sake and tea, which one do you-?"

"Sake"

"All right, just gimme a minute"

While I left to get the requested drink from the shelves, I can hear their conversation. "Suwako-sama! Please don't say something like that; he might get the wrong impression"

"Oh don't worry. Come what may I'll always loves you Sanae. There-there"

"Suwako-sama please don't do that. I'm not a child anymore..."

As I came back with sake in hand, I observe the now more crowded table. The frog girl affectionately patted the green haired girl's hair who's trying very hard to fend the offending arms away. This proceeding is being observed by Reimu who watched them with enviable level disdain. Her eyes shifted to me when she saw me coming with the sake. "You look terrible" She commented when she gets a better look at me.

Putting down the sake, I lightly trailed my fingers on the scratches on my face. It's the first time I got into scrapes without utilizing my ability, so it still shows. "Occupational hazard" I answered with a shrug.

Hearing Reimu's comment, the other shrine maiden turns look at me. Her eyes widened when she saw my face and the scratches. Soon after that she starts bowing down profusely. "I-I'm really sorry for the trouble. Please forgive Suwako-sama, I'm sure she didn't meant to do whatever she did"

"Hey! Why is it my fault? I didn't do anything" The frog girl is quick to argue. Looking back at it, she really didn't do anything to me aside from running away.

"It's fine really. It's just scratches"

"And it's probably Shirou's fault too, so no worries right" Reimu quipped in.

"I-I wouldn't say it like that, but-"

"And there you have it, nothing to be concerned about" The Red-White shrine maiden rather hastily concluded the conversation before taking a swig out of her sake.

"Uu..."

"T-thank you then Shirou-san" The other shrine maiden thanked me. "Suwako-sama, you should thank him also"

The frog girl turn to look at me, blinked a few times, then turns back to the shrine maiden. "Why?"

"He played with you didn't he? The children told us so" Her eyes shifted to the plate of empty dango sticks. "And it seems he also bought your lunch"

"Well if you put it that way... Thanks I guess" She said with a quick 2 finger salute.

"Haaah... you're welcome I think..." I said to the grinning girl. Looking at her like this, she's really not a bad kid after all; unruly, but a good kid nonetheless. Anyway, now that the conversation is slowing down, maybe it's time to ask my own question, one that I've been wondering for a while now. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask for a while... why do you keep call her 'Suwako-sama'?"

"That's because Suwako-sama is..."

The fog girl interjected the shrine maiden. "Don't you know? I'm a God"

"You're a wh-"I tensed up hard while sitting down. What soon follows is a loud clattering noise as I fall backward on the chair. "O-ow..." I groaned as I lifted my head up from the floor to look at the three pair of eyes that are looking down at me.

Trying to gather my thoughts, I slowly picked up the chair; straighten it up where it was before sitting down again. "A God... I see..." Even after that my head is still a jumbled mess and I'm barely thinking straight. "So this girl here... is a God..." I repeated it again to confirm what I just been told. "A God..." I say it one more time and it still didn't click. "Okay, so she's a God..."

"That's right! Feel free to worship me"

"Don't bother; she's just a shrine less God"

"Wha...! Well... yours is a Godless shrine!"

"What did you say you frog!"

"P-please you two, don't fight"

I half pay attention to the commotion that started on my living room table. My mind is still reeling from my latest acquaintance. A God... She's a God...

With the way she acts... I don't think anyone would ever peg her as a God.

I leaned back on the chair as I stare at the ceiling. Here's hoping not all Gods are like her... Then again, the universe hasn't crumbled into dust just yet, so someone up there must be doing his or her job...

* * *

><p>The sun is setting when my guests decided to head home. Before they go though, there's one thing that needs to be discussed first. "No way, this much coins is too cheap" For some reason though, Reimu decided to represent me in this discussion regarding my fee.<p>

"This much is enough for him to eat for three days. Shirou-san said he's fine with less than this amount so why is you so adamant about it?" The other shrine maiden argued back.

"Because he doesn't know any better which is why I'm doing this. And I say give him enough for a week"

"That's daylight robbery!"

"It's a lesser evil compared to what that snake usually does"

"Don't speak badly of Kanako-sama!"

I sigh as I lazily watched the proceedings. I wish they'd get it over already so I can have some peace to myself, but I been wishing that for the past 15 minutes and I still haven't seen any sign that these two would stop. Letting out another sigh, I raise my cup and downed the sake quickly in one gulp. "Pwah..." I exhaled to ease the burning feeling in my throat.

"You really don't care about your pay?" The child-like God asked me curiously from where she's sitting across the table.

"Not really, no. I usually just let my employer decide my pay. As long it's useful, I'm not picky on what I get" I explained to her.

In the past week, I've done quite a number of jobs around the villagers, and only a few of them pay me with money. Most of my payments are in the shape of food though it's not completely limited to that; the craftsman made me a set of dining table and a few chairs in addition to the money in return for cutting down AND dragging the trees back into the village. I soon share the reward with Mei-Ling, the vampire's gatekeeper who is nice enough to let me copy her so I can do the job. Grateful for what she let me do, I use some of the money I get from that job to buy a large bag of steamed dumpling which I gave to her. She's very happy to receive the gift, and she graciously gave some to me too. We talked for a while after that before I excuse myself when the sun is starting to set since I don't want to meet her scary mistress.

Another memorable job is when Kasumi's mother, the one from the sweetshop, asked me to gather more mushroom for her. Having done the same thing before, I did this one much quicker than last time and return to the village carrying a basketful of the mushroom. I still don't get why a sweet shop need mushrooms to make sweet, but when she gave me a large pack filled with jelly bean cakes, that question quickly left my mind. I tried the cakes when I got back, and it indeed tasted really good. It's a shame that the two shrine maidens ate the rest of the cakes, but oh well.

My trip down the memory lane is broken when Suwako snapped her fingers. "In that case, why don't I pay you for today?"

"Huh?" Is what I said in surprise.

"You?" Is what Reimu said in surprise.

"Suwako-sama!" Is what Sanae said in anxiety as she rushed to her side. "You can't. Y-you don't have any money..." She whispered it into the tiny God's ear, though I can still what she says.

"Hey! I'm a God remember? There's got to be something I can give him"

"A shrine less God like you? I doubt it..." Reimu sighed. "So? What will you give him?"

"Hm..." The house become quiet as me along with the two shrine maidens waited for the God amongst us to answer. Seconds passed, and then minute, then minutes, yet the God is still scratching her head as she tries to come up with an answer.

A few more minutes passes and still nothing. "T-there's no need to think so hard... I'm fine with whatever really..." Is what I said to smooth over her thought process.

But my attempt seems to have backfired as the God turn to look at me in annoyance. "Whatever is boring. A reward has to be something good. That's why it's called a reward"

"Probably so, but do you have anything 'good' to give?"

"Well... the only thing I have at the moment is..." The frog God, Suwako stops talking as if she just realizes something. Then without warning, the frog girl leaped off her chair and landed between the two shrine maidens. She then grab onto one of them and dragged her forward. "Here, you go"

There was silent as everyone in the room sans the instigator tried to understand what just happened. The first one to react is the victim of course. Sanae's face turns blood red as the implication of what the little God just said hit her."S-S-Suwako-sama! Y-you... that is... I mean... This is so sudden... A-a-and..." The poor girl can barely form coherent sentences, mortified by what her God just said.

"Oi! You can't be serious!" Reimu too voiced her opinion on this bizarre turn of events. "Shiro! Say something!"

"What am I suppose to say!? She's just joking right?"

To my question, Suwako shakes her head. "Nope, this is your reward" She stated.

"Uh... and what am I suppose to do with her?"

"Whatever you want. I'll approve of it of course, just don't tell Kanako"

Out of the corner of my eyes I notice Sanae's feet are wobbling as she leaned onto the table while Reimu in front of me would look hilariously perplexed if she wasn't drawing out a spell card. I need to do something quick before danmaku started flying inside my house. "W-wait a minute. You can't be serious about giving her to me right?" As I said this, I wish... no, I prayed really hard that she's just joking.

"Hm?" Suwako tilted her head aside questioningly. "Of course I'm not giving her to you. Sanae is mine"

Hearing that, the tension of the house instantly dropped like a rock sinking into water. I myself felt like a giant weight have been lifted from my chest. Reimu and Sanae too became much calmer as Sanae is no longer being 'handed' over to me.

"Suwako-sama..." Sanae choked out with tears in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?"

"I thought... I thought..."

It took some time and another cup of tea before Sanae calmed down enough for the conversation to proceed. As soon as she does, Reimu is quick to fire her question. "So... if you're not giving her to him, what did exactly did you mean then?" She asked the questions that no doubt been swimming in everyone's head by now, even Sanae's.

"Is it not obvious?" The answer to that question is a big 'No' of course, but we all hold back on that to hear what this God has to say. "I'm giving him a miracle"

"... Do you ever actually think things through or do you actually like being an idiot?"

Suwako ignored Reimu's harsh comment as she turns towards me. "It's a good choice don't you think? Just ask Sanae for whatever and she'll make it happen"

"Ask Sanae? You mean..." The shrine maiden in question fidgeted uncomfortably when I turn to look at her. "I never knew shrine maiden can create miracles"

"Cause she's special that way. What do you think? You like it?"

"Yeah... sure... Thank I guess?"

Suwako frowned at my lacklustre reply. "That's a pretty weak reaction. I was expecting more excitement, especially since you came from the outside world. Did you not believe me?"

While I'm not exactly a devout person, I won't deny the existence of Gods. If this person who claimed to be a God said that she'd granted me a miracle, then I obviously won't turn it away. But still... "No, I believe you; it's just that I don't really need anything that warrants a miracle. I'm fine with how things are going for me"

The God peered closer to my face, her eyes are sharp and all traces of her previous playfulness is all but gone from her. After nearly a minute though, her inquisitive gaze soon turns into a grin as she leaned back. "Heh, you're amusing. I like you" As she said this, I somehow felt like I just passed some sort of test from her. "Hey Sanae, pay him enough so he can go eat a lot"

"Um... how much is that Suwako-sama?"

"I dunno. You're the one with the money"

The shrine maiden opened her pouch and after scrambling inside it for a bit, pulled out 5 pieces of coins. "This much is okay?" She offered the coins to me.

Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Reimu about ready to object, so I quickly nodded and take the offered coins. "Yeah, it's fine, thank you" I pocketed the coins, sealing the deal before Reimu tries to start haggling again.

"Haah.. You're way too much of a nice person you know that?" Reimu sighed as she dejectedly skulks behind me.

"Is that a bad thing?"

The shrine maiden averted her eyes from me as she stays silent to that question. Seeing the strong headed shrine maiden acting flustered, I can't help but to silently laugh while mentally patting myself for a job well done.

"Sanae... I'm hungry..." A certain God started to whine.

"Didn't you just eat a full plate of dango by yourself? I asked in amazement.

"That was just snacks. So I'm hungry again now"

"Don't worry Suwako-sama, I got a big lunch prepared for you back at home. So will you come home ?"

"Ugh... I guess I should. I can't let Kanako hog all your cooking for herself now can I?"

* * *

><p>The sun is starting to disappear on the horizon by the time people started to leave. "Thank you once again Shirou-san. I really appreciate your help"<p>

"Let's play again sometimes okay?"

"Ahaha... take care you two. Please don't run away again okay Suwako-sama?" I kneeled down in front of her so she's on the same eye level as me.

"No promise there. And just call me Suwako. We're friends aren't we?" The God playfully pat my head. "By the way, you can still ask Sanae for that miracle okay? It's a gift from me to you"

Sanae nodded. "If it's within my ability I'll do my best to grant it. Just ask me anytime"

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind"

Having said their farewells, the two then take their leave as they flew off to the north side of the village. This leaves me with one guest remaining. Reimu stands up straight from where she was leaning on the wall. "You've accustomed yourself to Gensokyo quite well" She said to me while pacing around in front of me.

"I guess I did"

"And it seems you've also acquainted yourself to a number of people, and they all seem to like you... or at the very least interested in you. Suika was telling me about how much she likes you and Marisa is curious as ever about you. Heck, even Sakuya made a mention of you when she stopped by the shrine last week:"

"That's a good thing right?"

"That remains to be seen..." The shrine maiden stop pacing and turn to smile at me. "Though personally, I think you did quite well so far"

"Coming from you, that means a lot. So does that mean you'll stop throwing those ying-yang orbs every time you get angry at me?"

"Don't push it"

"Haha..."

"... With all the commotion today I almost forget what I originally came here for. There's going to be a spring party in the shrine in 3 days. Suika wanted you to come along, so I told her I'd invite you before she tried to do it herself"

"A party?"

"Yes a party. A lot of people will be there; dangerous, and powerful people. You best to prepare yourself"

That sounded like it's going to be quite a dangerous gathering despite the use of fun festivities in its name. "Can't I just... not go to this party?"

Reimu shakes her head. "Doubt it. With how much Suika wanted you to come, there's no way you cannot go. She can be very persuasive"

Well if she put it that way... As much as I like Suika as a friend, she's still a very physically strong oni. I highly doubt I can say no if she wanted me to come, or I could, but then she might just drag me there and that would be very unpleasant. "All right, I appreciate the... invitation. I'll ready myself for that day"

"Good, I'll see you then. Just come by the shrine at morning, that way you could help me with the preparations"

"... You going to pay me for that?"

"I'll look after you in the party, is that payment enough for you?"

"That's... a pretty steep bargain... but I'll take it"

"Good. I'll see you then okay?" She said before she turn around and start flying away.

"Hey Reimu, wait a second" She halted midair and look back as I called out to her. "Just now you said something about people liking me. So what about you? What's your opinion on me?"

The shrine maiden looked surprised at the question. But then without warning, she pulled out a spell out of her sleeves and holds it up towards me. Seeing the card flashes, sign that it activates, I close my eyes and brace myself for the incoming attack.

A second later I felt something lightly hitting me in the head and then... nothing...

Slowly opening my eyes, I spotted a fist size ying-yang orb lightly rolling harmlessly on the ground. Looking back up at the shrine maiden, I saw her looking down on me with a faint smile on her lips. "I'd say you're an idiot" She told me before she flew off, this time not stoping anymore.

Heh, I guess that means she's okay with me.

I picked up the ying-yang orb from the ground and lightly rolled it around my palm even as it slowly fades away. A party huh...whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, I'm looking forward to it.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 34-End<strong>

**Okay, and that's it for now. I'll get the next chapter up in a week or two, depending on how much Guild Wars 2 takes my time. **

**Please leave a review; it's an unproven fact that reviews have the power to wards off the temptation of Guild Wars 2.**


	12. Day 37: The Gathering of One Spring Day

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**BEHOLD! The first milestone chapter of this story!**

**Sorry it took a while, but I had to study for an exam for the past 3 weeks.**

**Anyway, please enjoy. And I'll say this now; PLEASE REVIEW! Writing this chapter is not exactly easy, so reviews would be very much appreciated. Without further ado, please enjoy.**

**-Updated (28 Nov 2012)- Fixed a few typo and stuff. Next chap almost done... but can I get a few more review from this chapter please?**

**Day 37:**The Gatherings on One Spring Day****

* * *

><p>It's a bright sunny morning, few clouds overhead and topped off with a light cool breeze just enough to rustle the leaves. Add all those together and you'll get one perfect spring day.<p>

Bending down carefully, I put down the stack of plates down onto the ground. "So I'll just put this here for now, okay?"

Reimu looked over from where she was organizing the utensils onto a large red sheet. "Yeah, that'll be fine. After that, can you roll more mats as well? And remember to give some distance between each one; I don't want any incident to happen because of some stupid reason like a lack of space"

I just shrugged as I pick up the layers of mats and start spreading them all over the place. If something did happen I'll be sure to stay as far away from it as I can, so it's not really my business. On the other hand, it would be a shame if this place gets wasted because of stupid quarrels; all these cherry trees are quite a sight after all. I'm surprised that I never notice these trees in my previous visit to the shrine; they're so numerous it's hard not to see them.

I blame the run down shrine for blocking such a great view.

It's almost the end of spring, so this'll probably the last time I'll see them until next year. What a shame really.

"Reimu... where's the sake?"

I look upward toward the voice, and there, comfortably lying down on one of the tree branches, is my favourite little Oni. She's actually the only Oni I know, but that's beside the point.

The shrine maiden sighed heavily. "I've got enough for the guests, which is why I'm not giving you any. Speaking of which, are you coming down to help any time soon?"

"Soon maybe?" Suika slurred as she start gulping down from her gourd. She's a lot more drunker compared to when I first saw her this morning when she appeared out of thin air and tried to tackle me down when I first arrive at the shrine. I'm so glad I manage to catch her in time, if she actually grabbed a hold of me I'd probably suffer from numerous broken bones by now. "Shirou~~~ you'll drink with me right?"

"Uh... it's too early for drinking, maybe later?"

"Okay, later then. Don't forget"

"You'll remind me if I forget right?"

"Of course"

Let's just hope it won't come to that though... I dread what this oni will do to me as a reminder; I don't know what she'll do, but the end result would most probably be me completely inebriated to the point of a drunken coma. I just might die from that, and if I don't, the resulting hangover would make me wish that I am dead.

Shaking the thought away and making a point to be on the lookout for Suika when the party started, I resume my work, spreading the red party mats across the yard. At some point Suika also starts helping out; a number of tiny sized copies of her start appearing and helps Reimu with organizing the plates and cups onto the mats I laid out.

It wasn't long after before we finished. "Okay, that's all of them" I brushed my hands on my pants to clean the dirt off. "Please tell me we're done here"

Reimu gives the place a quick look over before she nodded. "This should be fine. Just in time too, people should be arriving soon" She said while stretching her arms with a small 'pop' sound. "As a matter of fact... "

"Hello!"

What follow said greetings is a not so small gust of wind as a familiar black winged tengu makes ground landing from a ridiculous top speed to instant zero. Some would call that crashing, but with a powerful flap of her wings, she turns a potentially fatal collision into a perfect landing.

"Aya..." The last time I saw this tengu is back when she was distributing flyers that unwittingly gave me my job as a freelancer. Because of this, I'm unsure whether to feel gratitude or irritation toward the tengu

Before I can say anything though, another high speed flying object makes a landing in the area. Unlike Aya's landing, this one skidded a few metres before it stopped.

"Ah dammit! That one doesn't count, I got dust in my eyes" Marisa complained as she unmounted her broom and walked toward us. "If it wasn't for that I would easily beat you here"

"Of course, I'll take that challenge any day, though the result would always be the same"

"One of these days..." Marisa sighed before she turns towards the shrine maiden. "Hey Reimu, I'm here. Are we the first one here"

To answer that question, Reimu pointed a finger at me.

Following the finger, Marisa actually seems surprised when she saw me standing there. "Whoa! Shirou! Didn't see you there" The magician soon shakes off her surprise and waved a greeting towards me. "It's been a while. How's it going?"

I shrugged; feeling a bit miffed that she didn't notice me at the start. "I've been busy, but other than that, I'm doing just fine"

"Yeah, I heard you've been quite active these days. A freelancer, right? How did you come up with that?"

I turn to Aya. "Blame it on her"

"Ayaya? Blame me? Did I not do you a favour by publishing that article?" The Tengu reporter is quick as ever as she round up on me, armed with a note and pen. "You've been doing great by the way; I never would've expected you to become this famous so fast. Is it because of that incident during the full moon? Care to elaborate on that?"

"Um..."

"Chase your news some other day you crow" Reimu come to the rescue as she hit the relentless reporter with her gohei stick. She then irritated points the stick to a nearby party mats. Where previously it was flat on the ground with plate and cups neatly place on top, it is now a jumbled mess of cloth and utensil, most probably caused by the wind gust that the Tengu caused when she landed. Looking around, it's not the only mess in the area. "The party hasn't even start yet and you already cause problem, now go clean up your mess"

"Kaaaaay'" Aya dejectedly said before she starts cleaning up.

Reimu then turns toward Marisa. "You help her clean"

The magician is quick to protest. "What? Me? Why?"

"Because you're also partly to blame for this since I doubt Aya's the one who initiated the competition. Now I don't care who's fastest between you two, but you better clean this up fast before anyone else came, got that?"

Under the shrine maiden's fierce gaze, the magician is quick to falter. "Ugh, fine..." Marisa too joined Aya in cleaning up the mess.

Watching the two clean up and not having something to do for myself, I instinctively start moving to help out. But before I can do anything to lend a hand, Reimu already grabbed me by the collar and yanked me back.

"What are you doing?" She hissed.

"Uh... sorry, reflex" It's not that I'm that much of a nice guy, more of a habit that resulted from my upbringing. Back at the orphanage, matron taught me to always help out others whenever I'm done with my chores early; as she said, _"As the oldest, you must always take care of the other kids. Help others whenever you can. By doing so, you'll distinguish yourself to them, to me, and to yourself"_ At her urging, I always help out the other kids, and soon enough I become so used to lend a helping hand to everyone, even at work.

But clearly this shrine maiden won't be happy if I help out these two. To take my minds of work, I decided to strike a conversation with her instead. "Where did Suika go?" I asked as I notice that the Oni is nowhere in sight.

Reimu turns towards me as I asked the question. "She said she's going to get some more sake"

"Didn't she already have that refilling sake gourd of her?"

"Yeah, but she mentions getting the 'really good' stuff this time. Not surprising really, after all, she does have a new drinking buddy" She smirked evilly at me, and dammit, I foresee nothing good coming from that kind of smirk. "Whatever she'll offer to you, try to drink only a cup at most, maybe less if you can"

"... What'll happen if I drink more than one?"

"At best, you'll be completely smashed, if not, then probably an instant knock-out"

"I'll keep that in mind. But did you really think Suika will let me go with just one cup?"

"I did say 'try' if you can. Just hope she gets carried away and drinks most of it before she gets to you"

"Right..."

* * *

><p>The sun is nearing its highest peak when the party kicked off to a start. The buzzing chatters of the people, mouth-watering smell of the food, drinks being shared, and a few occasional bullets whizzing by in the sky. All in all, it is very fun party.<p>

I can't say much about it though as I am too busy hiding in the far corner of the party ground.

"There's really no need for you to hide out here by yourself you know" Reimu told me as she came by to check up on me.

"I don't know... I don't think I can blend in with this crowd..." I said as I peeked around the corner of the large tree I'm using as cover.

It's not that I have any problem with the party, it just that there's just one glaringly obvious situation that is being presented at me; All the party goers, not counting me, are all of the opposite gender of me, in other words, they're all females. And judging by some of the party guests that I've seen, not all of them are of the same race as me either.

Surprisingly, being surrounded by non-humans is much easier to swallow than being surrounded by girls. Maybe I'm just being over conscious... but dammit; no way I can just stroll in there without any weird thoughts, I mean, me being the only guy in there...

I'm man enough to admit to myself that I'm not man enough to enter this unknown territory. Hence I just sit here all by myself, far from any prying eyes.

Reimu sighed heavily as she shakes her head. "It's fine really. Most of them have read the newspaper so they already know about you"

"That makes it so much worse..." Before the party started, before I started hiding, when people were just turning up, I receive a large number of curious stare from almost everyone. Granted, there are people that I've already acquainted myself with; Keine for example, and the people (and rabbits) from Eintei. I also run into Sanae and Suwako. But other than them, most people are new to me, so I quickly decided to go into hiding when the stares became too much for me to bear. "If you don't mind, I'll just sit this one out here, okay?"

"Oh, but I do mind" A voice that is not Reimu's answered me.

My brain barely have time to remember the owner of that voice before a black gap opened up in front of me where a hand reached out from and grab the scruff of my shirt. Without much word, I was pulled right into the gap.

Blackness overtakes my sight for a split second before I felt gravity pulling down on me and I fall down into the ground. "Okay... that was completely unnecessary and unwanted" I grumbled from the ground, not bothering to pick myself up to address the one responsible for this.

"Shirou-san, are you okay?" I soon felt a cold hand grasping my arm and hefted me upward into a sitting position.

The first thing I saw after I lifted my face off the dirt is the smirking face of a blonde youkai. A youkai that I remember very well for she's someone that has left an everlasting impact in my life; not in a good way, but neutral at best. "Hello Yukari... it's been a while..."

She amusedly twirled her purple parasol above her head, her eyes dancing in mirth. "Indeed. About 3 weeks give or take a few days? I heard you've been doing quite well Mr. Freelancer"

"It's a living" I replied to her while looking around the area where I got dropped at.

This is still the backyard of the Hakurei Shrine where the party is being held at, but compared to where I was previously; this is smack dab in the middle of the festivity. A few curious eyes are already looking my way, so I quickly shied away from the gaze and focus on my near surrounding instead.

Yukari aside, the only person around me is a familiar pale skinned girl and the large ghostly wisp that floats around her. If the wisp is not enough reminders, then there's the katana strapped on the girl's back.

I remember meeting this girl once, quite some time ago. But even with the amount of time that has passed, it only took me a mere moment to recall this half-ghost's name. "Youmu, right?"

As I said her name, a small hint of red creeping onto the girl's pale face. "Y-yes. It's been a while Shirou"

I nodded. "Yeah, sorry about that. I thought about visiting, but I seriously have no idea how to get to that ghost garden... Speaking of ghost, where's-"

"Kuro!"

"Gwah!" I yelped as I felt a pair of soft cold arms wrapping themselves around me.

"It's been a while! How come you never visit?" The ghost princes who completely ignored my personal space didn't even notice my discomfort as she presses her body onto me. She's also very ignorant of the way her generous bust is pushing at the back of my head.

"Y-Yuyuko? Like I said, I don't know where you live, and my name is Shirou, not Kuro!" Usually having two bodies this close together would count as sharing body heat, but considering the lack of heat from one of the body, it became a one sided transfer instead. But since she's not getting any warmer at all, it would be more accurate to say that she's consuming my body heat instead. ""Let go of me"

"Don't wanna~~" She whined like a little girl that don't want to let go of her doll. I'm not a lifeless doll though, and if she don't let go soon, I just might become just that, lifeless.

"P-please let go?"

"No"

Uh-oh. I'm in trouble here! Someone help me please!

Right before I tried something a bit rougher to shake this ghost mistress off me, Reimu came into view as she sits down next to Youmu. "Hey, I'm hungry, can I start eating now?" She pointed at the large stack of boxed food next to the half-ghost.

"H-huh? But this is for..." Her eyes met mine and I furiously nodded at her. She looks confused for a few seconds before her eyes widened in understanding. Unpacking the boxed food, the half-ghost girl spread the prepared food in the middle of the mat. "You may have some Reimu-san. These are all Yuyuko-sama's favourites, but surely they're also to your liking"

"I'm not a picky eater. Thanks for the food"

The moment Reimu uttered those words, the cold feeling on my back all but evaporated and I soon hear another voice echoing after Reimu. "Thanks for the food" Yuyuko happily said as she brought down her chopsticks and start munching down straight from the box.

Now free from the ghostly grasp, I start gasping. I don't know when, but I must've stopped breathing for quite some time just now as my lung burns from the lack of air.

"You okay Shirou?" Reimu asked me.

"... Still alive"

"That you are" She smirked before she resumes eating again.

As I slowly try to regain my breath, Youmu comes towards me with a small plate in her hand. "Here, please have something to eat as well. You too Yukari-sama" She handed another plate to the blonde youkai.

Yukari nodded as she accepted the offered plate. "Thank you Youmu. Well Shirou? Shall we dig in as well? If we wait too long these two might finish the whole thing by themselves"

My stomach chooses to growl at that time. Come to think of it, I didn't eat anything this morning, so I am quite hungry right now. "Don't mind if I do"

* * *

><p>Lunch is quite the event just now, borderline close to a food war. Reimu and I clashed quite often for our preferred dishes, but in the end we still manage to eat our fill while Yuyuko would've died from overeating if she wasn't dead already.<p>

"Congratulations you three, those poor bento boxes didn't stand a chance" The blonde youkai said as she sauntered toward us. Standing tall above us who were too full to stand up, she lifted her hands to show us the large glass bottle she's holding. "Care to join me for a drink? I got a rare alcohol with me, and it would be a shame to drink it by myself" She gave the bottle a light shake to emphasize on the word 'alcohol'.

Reimu lazily propped herself into a sitting position. "A bit early for drinking isn't it?" I nodded in agreement to that assessment.

"A certain oni would say otherwise"

The shrine maiden sighed. "Point taken. Fine then, but not too much"

Smirking that she got the one up on the shrine maiden, Yukari handed to glass bottle to the half-ghost. "Youmu, if you would please"

"Of course Yukari-sama" Youmu takes the bottle from her and opened the top with a soft pop. She then pours out the contents to every raised cup around her. Their cups filled, Yukari and Yuyuko are quick to enjoy their drink while Reimu approach the unfamiliar drink with a mixture of reservation and curiosity.

As for me, this 'rare' drink that Yukari brought seems very familiar. Taking a small sip of the drink, I instantly recognise this slightly sweet drink as a bar cocktail, one that I am very well acquainted with. "This is... rum... lime... and syrup? A daiquiri right?"

"As expected, the boy knows his liquor" Yukari lightly clapped her hands. Though the gesture is one of praise, the lack of honesty behind the act makes it more like she's mocking me.

Taking a page from Reimu, I decided to ignore what she just said and just downed the rest of the drink in one gulp.

I ended up drinking more than a few cups, so I am feeling slightly a buzz when another familiar face walked by. "Hey there, what are you all doing?" The black-white magician called out she comes closer. At her voice, I heard Reimu let out a sigh while the other three didn't even bother to turn to look at her.

Since no one makes any effort to acknowledge the magician's arrival, I decided to be the one to do so. "Hello Marisa... I see you're full of energy as always..."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Before I can reply back, someone else beat me to the punch, throwing a rather vicious jab at the black-yellow magician. "It means you're being a nuisance, as usual" Tilting my head to the side, I saw a pale skinned girl standing behind Marisa. Short blonde hair, wearing a light blue dress decorated with pink frills and ribbons. For a second there I thought that I'm looking at a doll instead of a person. A scowling doll that looks very cross mind you. "Why did you bring me here in the first place?"

"Because you're being boring. You're not supposed to just sit alone while reading a book in a fun party like this. You're not Patchouli"

The girl clenched her hands tighter on the dark cover book she's carrying. "It's an interesting book and I'm very close to a breakthrough"

"Whatever breakthrough it was it can wait. Here, why don't you talk to Shirou instead? You never met him before right? He should be a good enough distraction over your book" She pointed at me.

At the word 'distraction', I slowly inched myself away from Marisa. The memory of when she uses me as a distraction is still fresh in my mind, and it was not something I would like to repeat ever again. Without thinking, my hand lightly trailed over my right pocket where my spell cards lay dormant; a newly developed habit that I did whenever I feel threatened.

Of course, the girl beside Marisa is anything but threatening, but better be safe than sorry right?

Speaking of the girl, her doll like face has been staring annoyed at Marisa who's now trying to convince her to sit down with us. Though she didn't say anything, her expression clearly says that she hold no trust toward the black-white magician.

"Come on, do it for me, please~~~" The distrust does nothing to discourage Marisa as she keeps pestering her to sit down with the group.

Finally having enough hearing all the whining, Reimu steps in into the conversation. "Do us all a favour and do what she says already. She clearly not going to stop until you do, and all this whining is making my head aches"

The girl let out a defeated sigh as she finally steps forward and seated herself on the mat with us. As she does so, I notice her hands wrapped themselves around the book she was carrying, securing it tightly against her chest.

As she makes herself comfortable, I suddenly found a sake bottle shoved into my hand.

"Be a good bartender and serve the lady a drink would you?" Yukari told me.

The way she said it kinda ticked me off though, so I can't bring myself to do as she says. "I make drinks, not serve them. Youmu, could you please?" I passed the bottle to the half-ghost. She didn't have any problem with it as she takes the bottle from me and start pouring the drink into a new cup.

But then...

"Tsk-tsk. Boys your age usually would jump at the chance to hit on a girl but here you are passing on a good opportunity to do so. What is wrong with you? Did you get desensitized from too much exposure to female skins while growing up?"

I can feel my face burning up at the looks I'm getting because of Yukari's intentional careless comment. If I wasn't sure before, this act convinced me to a guarantee that this blonde youkai I'm sitting with is a top notch bully, one who take a great deal of pleasure from humiliation and misery. Looking at her, I can see her eyes looking directly at me, challenging me to say something back. Wanting to avoid further embarrassment, and perhaps even potential bloodshed from the girls, I keep my mouth shut and keep my gaze on the floor.

"Huh, I'd never peg you for a ladies' man Shirou" My ears burns at Marisa's jab at me.

"I-I'm not... It's complicated..." I weakly replied.

"Whatever you say" The magician said as she sits down next to the girl she brought along. Said girl quickly distanced herself from her, her grip on her book tightened. "So new revelations aside, how is it? Isn't he interesting?" She asked the girl.

"I don't see what's so interesting about him"

"Don't be like that. At least try talking to him. It's not gonna hurt you to try be friendly to him. Tell her Reimu"

Suddenly having her name mentioned, the shrine maiden sighed annoyed. "Do whatever you want" Is her answer before she raised her cup at Youmu who start refilling it. "Though... it won't hurt to at least say hi" She muttered before nodding at the half-ghost and quickly downed her cup in one shot.

Hearing Reimu's words, the girl let out a long sigh before she turns towards me. "Shirou-san is it? Nice to make your acquaintance"

"Uh, yeah, likewise, um..."

"Alice, Alice Margatroid" She politely bowed her head down as she introduces herself.

"Just call her by her first name, Alice. She's okay with that" Marisa added in.

The girl, Alice's eyebrow twitched at the interjection, but she didn't say anything after that, so I'd assume she's fine with that. "Okay... so Alice..." I said her name slowly to gauge her reaction. "You're a friend of Marisa?"

"An acquaintance, a rather unfortunate one" Instantly crossed, she replied without missing a beat.

Marisa waved her hand no repeatedly. "She's just shy. She can't live without me, I mean, just the other day she was..." The magician stopped talking as she found a lance pointing at her, just a few inches from the neck. And it's not only one lance either, as dozen or so sharp lances are being pointed at her, each being held in the hand of tiny human shaped figures. It only took me a second to recognise those human figures as dolls; harmless looking dolls that little kids like to play with, except these are armed and dangerous.

Marisa let out a weak laugh at the dangerous situation she faces. "I'm sorry?"

"Apology not accepted, but nonetheless, I doubt you'd ever change" And with that all the dolls disappeared back into ... somewhere... I'm not sure how, but there's only two dolls left now, the rest just disappeared while I wasn't paying attention, quite a feat really because I wasn't even blinking just now. "Shanghai, Hourai, watch over her, if she did something stupid, you have my permission to hurt her" She told the two dolls who starts nodding at her command.

"Alice is being mean"

I quietly laugh as I watch the magician dramatically start whining to the shrine maiden about unfair treatment. As I watch the shrine maiden fends off the magician with her hand, I felt a slight tug on my shin. I look down only to find a tiny doll next to me, its lifeless eyes seem alive as it curiously looking up at me.

I'm not a big fan of dolls, but even with my limited knowledge I can see that this doll is very well made; I can barely see the stiches on this thing unless I squint really hard.

Feeling curious about it, I carefully brushed it with the tip of my finger. "... Hi?" I muttered to it.

The tiny doll seemed amused judging by how its mouth tugged upward into a smile... At least I think its smiling, hard to tell, considering their mouth is made of stitches. It then jumped into my lap; I think it's trying to play with me. Being as careful as I can, I picked the doll up and place it on the palm of my hand.

As I did, the tiny thing starts to push and pull my thumb back and forth. If I don't know any better I think it's trying to wrestle with my thumb.

My musing is cut short when a certain youkai decided to throw another jab at me. "Why Shirou, I never know that you still played with dolls" Yukari cooed from behind me.

"Aw... he's so adorable" The ghost princess adds in her own jab.

Dammit, I walked right into that one; a powerful one-two combo that left my dignity shaken from the blow. "No I don't. If anything I think it's the one that's playing with me" Is what I said to defend my dignity as a man.

But as I said that, Marisa jumped up and starts pointing at Alice. "Ha-ha! I knew it! You are curious about him" She smirked triumphantly.

"..." The accused girl stayed silent at the accusation, but then the doll in my hand stopped moving before it jumped off and start strutting back to Alice. As it arrived, the other doll smacked it right in the head and proceeds to silently lectures it. It's a silent lecture because it does not speak, though its waving hand and pointing gestures make it obvious that it's angry at the other doll.

The other dull looked down sullenly as it endures the lectures.

"I should have asked this earlier but... what's with the dolls? How are they able to move? Are they alive? Or is it one of those cursed dolls that were possessed by evil spirits or something?"

Reimu shook her head. "Those aren't evil spirits; if they are I would've exorcised them long ago"

"But those things look so... alive..." I look over the dolls again. Seeing the two moves and acted so naturally raises many questions in my head. "How are they doing that?"

"Magic of course, Alice here is a magician you know" Marisa told me.

"Okay? So she's like you then Marisa?"

Alice lightly shakes her head. "No, we're not the same; she's not a full magician just yet"

"How so? You're both using magic right? Isn't that what magician do?"

"I don't know where you got your definition of magician from, but here in Gensokyo it's different. A full magician is closer to a youkai in term of their existence. Not only are they much more powerful than a human, they also live a lot longer also" Alice explained to me.

"How much longer if you don't mind me asking?"

"... A few hundred years at least"

"And how old are..." I stopped talking when the doll user glared at me. "Uh... sorry, I got carried away" I quickly apologize at my near slip of tongue. Like the boss always reminded me, no good ever comes from asking about a girl's age.

"He-he, Alice is not old, at least when you compare her to Patchy" Marisa said to me.

"Patchy?" I questioningly repeated the unfamiliar name.

"You haven't met her yet? Pale skin, long purple hair, looks even lazier than Reimu?"

"Hey!" The shrine maiden shouted indignantly.

"Nope, don't ring a bell..."

"In that case, let's go see her now!" She stands up and grabs a hold on my arm.

"Huh?"

The black-white magician eagerly starts pulling me up. "C'mon, I'll make the introduction, break the ice if you want to call it that way" She seems eager to make me meet this person... too eager...

Alice frowned as she looks at her fellow magician. "Not that I care, but didn't she tell you to not show your face to her today, under threat of physical and mental pain if I might add"

I feel her tugging lessened for a second before it resume again in full force. "Well yeah, but... I'm bringing a potential research subject for her, so it'll be fine"

Just how brutally honest can this magician be?! A research subject for a magician? No matter how I try to look at it, there's no way this'll be a good experience for me.

"Let's go then" With a burst of strength I never expected from the magician, she pulled me straight up and start dragging me onward.

"Wait a sec- ack, dammit, I said wait" Unfortunately for me, my protest falls into deaf ears.

* * *

><p>As the two left, those that were left behind slowly shake their head, either in exasperation or amusement at the magician's usual over eagerness.<p>

"Should we not help him?" The doll magician asked the shrine maiden.

Reimu shakes her head. "It's fine. The sun is still up so she can't do much to him" At the mention of the sun, it's pretty clear to all present that the shrine maiden was not talking about the magician who dragged the boy away nor the sickly purple magician they are going to see. "Let Remilia have her fun for now. Hopefully she'll tire of him soon so that's one potential incident averted"

There's a good logic behind the shrine maiden's line of thinking, but said logic fails to impress a certain ghost princess. "Kuro is a very fun person. I'm not gonna get tired with him, no way no how" She protested. "Tell her Youmu!"

"M-me?" The half-ghost squeaked.

"Of course. He's your friend is he not? So speak up for him"

Considering the fact that the two only met twice so far, calling them friends is just pushing it. All present aside from the airy ghost knows that, but no one bothered to correct what she said. With that said, it now falls upon the half-ghost to perform as her mistress expected.

"Um..." She stammers for words, her brow furled as she tries to think on what to say, her ghost half agitatedly flat behind her head. "A-as Yuyuko-sama said, Shirou-san is a good and hard working person. He's neither strong nor smart, but he got a strong will, especially for a human" She nodded, as if to affirm the facts to herself. She then turns toward the shrine maiden. "I actually think that he's similar to you Reimu-san"

The shrine maiden looked at the half-ghost as if she just said that the world is ending. "You're joking right? How is he the same as me?"

"I don't think she's wrong there" Yukari chipped in. "The shrine maiden and the freelancer, two ordinary humans gifted with powers beyond ordinary. I'd say you two are quite indeed alike, even with the large contrast in personality"

"What do you mean by that last line!?"

Youmu quickly interjected before the shrine maiden starts shooting danmaku. "W-what I'm trying to say is... if the vampire still holds you as a subject of interest after all these years, don't you think she might do the same to him?"

"Feh!" Reimu angrily turns her head away from view. If one can see her face, they'd notice that her eyes are glancing at the direction the freelancer was being dragged by the magician. Letting out a heavy sigh, the shrine maiden shoved her empty cup to the half-ghost. "I'll check up on him later. Right now just get me more sake"

There's a round of chorus as everyone also ask for refill for their cup.

As the half-ghost starts pouring sake to everyone's cup and the shrine maiden sulking while gazing at the sky, no one notices the tiny smirk on Yukari's face, none but the ghostly princess. She tilted her head curiously at what her good friend is planning, but she soon forego the thought when Youmu opened up another compartment filled with dessert snacks.

* * *

><p>Being dragged across the party ground, the first thing I notice is the stares; curious, confused, and unbiased eyes looking at me. The second thing that I notice is more of a confirmation of what I already know; I'm the only guy here. I'm feeling really self conscious right now...<p>

Of course my obvious discomfort goes unnoticed by Marisa who keeps dragging me by the sleeves, destination unknown.

Then suddenly she stopped. "Hey Patchy! I'm back!" She calls out loudly to the air.

Aside from attracting more stares, there's no one responding back to her call. I turn to ask what she was doing, but I stayed quiet when I see the magician hold a finger upward.

Wait? But wait for what?

The answer to my question came in the form of a multitude of thin shadows around us. Less than two seconds later, the ground around us has now become riddled with many sharp knives that are embedded on the ground as they drop from the sky. "I think the rain of knives means we should turn back" I tug at the black-white magician to turn back, but she didn't budge.

"Nonsense. If that were true, then she would've take care of it herself instead of asking Sakuya. I'd say this is..." She stopped talking as a gleaming cold steel blade found its way on her neck.

"That is correct" I jumped when I notice a maid that seemingly appears out of nowhere. "Welcome back Marisa-san. I would think that after I first chased you away you would have understood the fact that Patchouli-sama does not appreciate your company. But I can see that it's a moot point as always" Her polite word is a huge contrast to the knife she's holding against Marisa's throat.

The black-white magician carefully pushed the hand that is holding the knife away from her neck. "Oh, don't be like that; I even brought a peace offering here"

"I'm an offering now?!" I groaned, fully understanding that I've once again got dragged into another problematic situation by the magician. Feeling defeated, I turn toward the maid. I remember seeing her before, but from where?

The maid lowered her knife arm and motioned for us to follow. "Milady wishes to speak with you, please follow me" She starts walking away, not bothering to check whether we're following her or not.

Marisa of course follows, and since she hasn't let go of me yet, I also got dragged along with her.

The maid led us towards one of the bigger cherry trees. There sitting down on a decorated chair, hiding under the shades, is one familiar girl that instantly sent a cold chill down my back.

"Hello! I'm back. This time I got something interesting with me" Marisa pushed me front toward the vampire.

"And here I thought it was going to be the same dull festivities. Getting up early really does have its worth" Her mouth tugged upward in a smirk, her glistening fangs protruding under her lip. Seeing her red eyes staring at me, I fidgeted on the spot, hand slowly rubbing my right pocket. The vampire shifted her gaze to Marisa. "It's not every day you get invited as a guest of the scarlet devil. You may count today as one of those rare days"

A book closed shut at the sound of Marisa cheering. A pair of narrow purple eyes moves from the book to the vampire next to her. "Remi..." A girl in clad in purple looks very unhappy as she glanced at the happy black-white magician.

The vampire waved her complains away. "Don't look at a gift horse in the mouth" Red eyes met by unflinching purple eyes. "Okay, tell you what, I'll let you have the first turn with him. Poke and prod him or whatever if you want"

The girl in purple turns her gaze on me. After a good number of seconds, she slowly nodded. "... Very well, bring him to me"

* * *

><p>"Um... Patchouli-san right? I already give up on running and accept that I'll be a guinea pig for the next... 3 minutes as you say... so why do I have to be pinned down like this?" With the maid inning down my arms and Marisa holding down my legs, I'm effectively immobilized in front of the girl in purple.<p>

"I don't want you to cause a ruckus when I'm doing the procedure, now stay still and keep your mouth shut. Any interruption could result in unspeakable pain onto your body" Paying no attention to how she just failed at being reassuring, she quietly mutter a spell and start waving her hand about in the air above me. Her fingertips glowing, she traces the air in front of her, leaving a smouldering purplish line where her finger been. As I watched, the purplish line dances in the air, slowly descending and encroaching down toward where I'm behind held down.

I held my breath as the magic lines comes closer.

One line in particular caught my eyes as it haphazardly trail blazing in front of my face. It moved erratically as if it's trying to find a landing spot on my face. "Just how is this supposed to work again?" I whispered out as loud as I can without moving my face too much.

"It's an old eastern ritual, normally used in the old days. Using a small amount of magic one can thoroughly examine a person's body by temporally attuning the magical signature on one's body into a grafted slate of temporal bypass where it'll create a flux arcane signature for the caster to read"

... I have absolutely no idea what this magician just said.

Marisa on the other hand, seems to have an idea on what was said. "I see. That's an interesting way to read a diploid reading inside a living body. Plus it didn't require much energy as well, so it's perfect for you Patchy" She mutters while watching the dancing lines in awe. But then she disappointedly shakes her head. "But I don't think it's a good idea to use it on him"

For the first time since we got here, the purple magician turns to regard her fellow magician. "How so?"

As she asked, the magical lines above me started to lose their glow, becoming dim. "Because the magic would've destabilized before they can even reach him" Just after Marisa's remark, all the lines completely dissipate, leaving no traces that they were even there. Marisa would later tell me that my eyes glowed purple for some time after that.

Patchouli frowned. "I see, so that's the semi sub-par absorption you told me about. What an annoying phenomenon"

"You could try something stronger, maybe he can't absorb it all if there's too much at one time"

"I could... but not right now. I just can't exert any more energy after that" She sighed tiredly. "Just let him go"

I soon found my hand and legs unbound as my captors backed away. Lightly rubbing my wrist, I turn to look at the black-white magician. "How come you sounded so disappointed back then?" I muttered in annoyance.

"Whatever do you mean?" She grinned slyly. "Anyway, I'm off to bug Alice again. Since I'm not around she should be lowering her guard right about now. Remi, take care of him for a bit will you?"

"Of course, I'll see to it that no harm befall him. That's the devil's promise" The vampire girl stated proudly, though I can see a glint of amusement dances in her eyes as she eyed me like a predator stalking a prey.

"Good enough. Okay, see you around Shirou" With a quick wave of hands, Marisa runs off, leaving me behind in the company of the vampire and her entourage.

No sooner that she disappears from sight, I quickly discover one of the many loopholes that a devil's promise has. "I won't let anyone else harms you, but the same won't apply to me of course" The vampire smugly told me as she sip on a cup of tea with my blood on it as extra flavouring.

"Uu..." I whined as I let the maid bandages my bleeding palm.

"So Patchy, what's your assessment?" The vampire asks the girl in purple.

"Since the ritual failed there's nothing new for me to add. But outside of the magical field, my previous assessment on him stays"

"What would you need to get a better reading on him?"

The book closed as the girl turn her attention fully towards me. "... I need 3 days"

"Then you'll have it" Handing her empty tea cup to the maid, the vampire leaned back on her hair and turn to look straight at me. "So, Shirou is it? You are hereby invited to the Scarlet Devil Mansion in 3 days"

The way she looks at me when she says this is clearly contradicting the word invitation. An invitation means I can decline it and suffer no penalty from doing so. But in this situation, the unspoken threat underlining her 'invitation' clearly makes it more of a demand or a threat. Given the choice, there's only one thing I can say. "... I'll be there"

"Good, I'll let my gatekeeper know that you're expected so she'll let you through when you arrive"

"... Thanks" Feeling the tension lifting, I let myself sit down on the ground. "Speaking of which, where is Mei-Ling? Is she not here today?"

"She stayed behind to watch the mansion. Would you like some tea Shirou-san?" The maid answered me while offering a steaming cup of tea to me.

I accepted the tea cup and peered down at the brown red liquid. "This doesn't have blood in it right?"

The maid's mouth tugged upward slightly at my question. "There's no need to worry, it's just a simple tea with nothing special added. Please enjoy it"

Deciding to put my trust on the maid, I take the offered tea cup and take a sip of it. The soothing feeling of the warm fragrant liquid does wonder to calm my nerves which admittedly been a bit shaky ever since the beginning of this party. Liking the taste, I quickly downed the rest of the cup in one big gulp. "This is really good."

The maid extended her hand to the empty tea cup. Reading her gesture, I handed the cup back to her. "Would you care for another?" She asked as she raised a small kettle on her other hand.

"No, it's fine. Thank you very much" It's not that I don't want more tea, but my stomach would complain if I keep filling it with liquid sustenance. I need something more solid, some snacks would be nice.

As if she's reading my mind, the maid pulled out a small basket filled with cookies out of nowhere. "Would you prefer some light snacks instead?" She offered the cookies to me.

"I-I'll have some, thanks" I reached out and take out a few of the confectioneries. Somehow the cookies are still warm even with today's mild weather. Throwing a glance at the maid, I take a small bite out of a cookie.

...

... This is... the greatest cookie... in the history of cookie...

I quickly stuffed the rest of the cookies in my mouth, not caring how my mouth puffed out like a chipmunk as I devour the delicious treat.

"Care for another one?"

I nodded as I turn toward the maid, and I literally froze on the spot. The girl's shoulder trembles as she covered her mouth with her free hand. She's laughing at me, silently. Suddenly feeling conscious about my act, I quietly swallowed the cookies in my mouth. "I'll take one more, thanks" I pick one more cookie from the tray and backed away from it... though one more won't hurt so I take another one just because. "You make these cookies yourself?"

"I did. Glad to see you enjoyed them"

"Yeah, these are delicious" I chewed down on one of the cookie.

"Sakuya, let me have some too" The vampire said from where she's sitting.

"Certainly my lady" Moving away from me, the maid takes out another batch of cookies and presented them to the vampire.

The vampire looks at the tray and takes one for herself. Biting on it, she let out a satisfied moan. "Scrumptious, the dried blood is a nice touch. My compliment Sakuya"

"Bleh!" I spat out the cookies in my mouth. Did she just say blood? The heck I've been eating until now? Looking at the cookie in my hand I suddenly start feeling ill, the urge to vomit is not far behind.

"It's fine Shirou-san. The one you're eating is just normal cookies" The maid reassures me. "I made a separate batch for people other than milady"

"... I just lost my appetite"

* * *

><p>"I heard you been busy lately" The wings in her back twitched ever the slightest as the vampire leaned forward on her chair, eyes fixated on me. "The Gensokyo Freelancer, Sakuya told me the village has been abuzz with rumours of your exploits"<p>

"T-those are just exaggeration I'm sure"

"I doubt that. So, how much is the going rate to hire you?"

"Um... about 10 yen for a job, though I often get paid with food quite often. Whatever works I guess?"

"Ahahaha!" Hearing my answer, the vampire starts laughing, hard. Leaning forward on her chair, she looks at me right in the eye. "What a cheap sale! Why don't you work for me instead at my mansion? I promise you'll get paid much more than that"

I could've sworn those red eyes glows as they look directly at me. "I-I'm flattered for the offer, but I respectfully decline"

"Hm, what a shame" The grin on her face makes it hard to see the sincerity behind her words. "And here I was hoping to see Reimu's face when she finds out that I've snatched you out of her hands"

"Really? I thought she would actually be glad she didn't have to watch over me anymore" I admitted.

"That'd be a blessing in disguise" I stiffened when I heard the voice of the shrine maiden in question behind me. Quickly turning around, I saw her standing a few feet away from me; scowling with her arms crossed. "I can just imagine the many headaches I'd be getting if I just let you run rampant"

"... You know, a little bit of trust would go a long way here" I muttered in annoyance.

"Oh I trust you a plenty, which is why I'm keeping a close eye on you" She smirked, baiting me to say something back. Knowing I can't win this argument, I just look down and silently grumbled in my head.

Satisfied at putting me down a peg or two, Reimu turns towards my current host. "Remilia..." She fearlessly greeted her by name.

The vampire stands up from her chair and walked toward the shrine maiden. "Reimu, I take it you're here for him?" Her tone is haughty as always, but I notice a distinct lack of authority on her voice that she previously uses when she was talking to me.

Reimu nodded as she prodded me with her feet get stand up. "More or less. I guess I should thank you for taking care of him after Marisa left him behind"

"It was my pleasure, the boy proves to be quite a source of amusement after all" Glancing at my direction, the vampire smirked evilly. "I even invited him to my mansion in the following days, and he agreed"

Eyes widening in surprise, Reimu throw a quick glance at me. "Did he now..." Her accusing glare makes it very clear that she's not happy about me agreeing to go to the vampire's manor. "I trust he'll be taken care of as a guest?" She asked the vampire with a strained smile.

The vampire smiled wickedly. "Of course. He'll be well taken care of..."

I shivered at the sudden chill running on my back. Looking at Reimu, I notice the concerned look she's giving me. "I-I can take care of myself" I tried to reassure the shrine maiden AND myself that it'll be fine.

Reimu sighed. "With this crowd? I doubt it"

"Uu..."

"If you're worried about him, why don't you also come over? It's been a while since you visited my mansion" the vampire said to the shrine maiden.

"Firstly, I'm not worried about him. I worry about him trying to handle something he cannot control and causing damage" Her eyes trailed down to my right hand that is lightly cupping my side pocket where my spell card is. "Secondly, there's no reason for me to come by your mansion"

"How about dinner?"

Hook line and sinker...

* * *

><p>I keep a brisk pace as I follow Reimu through the open field of cherry trees. Not a minute since we left the vampire's group and I've already got my nerve shaken once aga<p>

There are so many eyes looking at my direction, and all of them belong to someone I didn't know. No matter where I look I see eyes staring at me. Frankly, I wish a hole would just swallow me right now, but I just know that won't happen because Yukari would never gaps me at my own convenience.

"Really, what is Marisa doing dragging you all the way there. Walking back is such a pain. And why can't that damn gap youkai just gap you back instead?" Reimu has been mumbling complains for a while now, seemingly irritated that she let the vampire get the best of her. Just before we left, she has agreed to come over to the mansion at the promise of dinner. She's probably beating herself because of it. "Hurry up will you? There's a sweet Yōkan waiting for me and I'll be damned if I let either Marisa or Yuyuko eat my share" She grumpily said to me.

I quickly comply as I jogged lightly to catch up to her, but at the mention of Yōkan... Ugh. My stomach suddenly churned at the thought of the thick jellied dessert. "You can have my share if there's any"

"Really?" That seemed to lift the cloud over the shrine maiden, instantly becoming chirpy as she rounded up towards me. "I'm not letting you take that back you know"

"It's fine. I already..."

"Shirou-san been eating Yōkan for most of the week, so he's sick of it. Am I right?" At the sound of flapping wings that accompanies the voice, both me and Reimu turn back just to see a certain tengu drifting slowly in the air behind us. Seeing that she got our attention, she lifted her hat in a greeting. "Hello! The clean and honest Aya Shameimaru is here"

"Aya? How did you know that?" I asked the tengu.

"A reporter has her sources. Witness account says that you were paid in a large quantity of Yōkan earlier this week, and another witness account that says that she rarely sees you in the market district during the week. I draw my conclusion from both of these conclusive facts"

"...Have someone every told you that you assume too much?"

"Does it matter? I was right aren't I?"

I opened my mouth to refute her claim, but quickly close it as fast. As much as I wanna say otherwise, the tengu does speak the truth. I could just lie about this just to peg her down a notch, but then I dread what kind of non realistic conclusion she'll came up with next. Still... there's no way I'm gonna just admit that she's right though. "What are you doing here Aya?" I throw a different question at her to change the conversation topic.

"I'm scoop hunting of course. There is plenty of juicy news in parties like these if one keeps their ears open" The tengu said while waving the notepad in her hand. "Got quite a few already, but one can't have too many info can they?"

Reimu shakes her head. "Whatever... just keep me off your stupid newspaper, you've scared away plenty of worshipers from my shrine already..."

Me and Aya share a quick glance before the tengu leaned forward and asked. "What worshippers?"

"The ones that haven't come yet" Two sigh echoed simultaneously at her words. Reimu huffed in annoyance from the unwanted sympathy.

Turning from the prideful shrine maiden, Aya moves her eyes towards me. "So Shirou, I'm honestly surprised to see you here. How are you enjoying the party so far?" She asked me.

"Considering that this party is full of girls that I'm absolutely sure can kick my ass... "I look around at the partygoers in the area "I don't think I really fit in here..."

"Really? You did pretty well fending off hungry youkai so far, so what makes you think everyone here is stronger than you? What about..." The tengu scanned the area before she stops and point to my right. " What about her? I bet you can at least beat her" She's pointing at a girl with light blue hair with icy wings protruding off her back.

Hm, haven't I seen her before somewhere?

Reimu also followed her fingers and nodded amusedly when she saw who the tengu is pointing at. "I don't often agree with the tengu, but she's right. I doubt you'd lose against that ice fairy"

"She's a fairy?" I doubtingly asked. I always thought fairies are a lot more... smaller.

"Yes she's a fairy. Want to try having a danmaku with her?"

"Why do I wanna do that?"

Aya grinned as she starts flapping her wings. "It'd make for a great scoop of course. Just hang tight I'll go get her for—gweh!" The reason for the undignified she makes at the end is because a certain shrine maiden just grab hold of her wings and pulled on them, hard. This act of youkai cruelty caused the tengu to ungracefully crash headfirst onto the ground.

Reimu looked at the downed tengu. "No danmaku in the shrine grounds. Have I not made myself clear all this time?"

"But danmaku is fun!" Someone answered the shrine maiden's question. "You're too much of a stiff Reimu, you should loosen up a bit" The voice came from behind me, but when I look back, there's no one there. It sounded familiar though, I talk to this voice just recently.

Reimu growled. "This is my shrine not yours, so my rules applies"

"You're so boring" The ground then burst open as a familiar girl came out flying from below. "Maybe I should just start shooting things up? Makes things a bit more exciting" The Goddess Suwako grinned, completely unthreatened by the glowing talisman on both of Reimu's hands.

"You wouldn't dare" Reimu threatened.

"Oh yeah? Try me" Suwako challenge back.

The shrine maiden and the goddess stare down at each other.

Stuck between the two, I quickly try to mediate things so I won't be in danger from the crossfire. Taking a deep calming breath, I grab hold of Reimu's shoulder and nudge her back away from the frog girl. The shrine maiden obviously not pleased that I just did that. "Hey what gives?" She shrugged my hands off her.

I scratched the back of my head, trying to think the right thing to say that won't bite me in the back. "I'm sure Suwako is just playing with you. There's really no need to start anything just from a joke right? Especially with me being nearby..."

The shrine maiden looks confused for a second before her eyes widened in realization. If these two start shooting danmaku near me, then I would end up copying someone's power. Reimu once mentioned how she doesn't want me to borrow her power; I respected that wish and never thought about using my spell card on her, but it's a different story if she's the one that handed it to me.

Of course I could end up with Suwako's power instead, but it just doesn't feel right to copy a God's power, not to mention dangerous since I don't know how to use them properly.

Getting the hint, Reimu hesitantly put away the talismans. She looks very annoyed, but at least she's not going to start shooting bullets anytime soon, I hope.

Now that's settled, I set my eyes on the other side of the argument. To my relief, Suwako no longer look like she's going to start anything anymore. Instead, the Goddess is staring quizzically at me, her head tilted to the side in a silent inquiry; I could almost imagine a big question mark hanging above her head.

I am going to ask her why she looks so confused, but then another voice beat me to the punch.

"My journalist senses are tingling... it's telling me that there's a big scoop nearby" Aya dizzily tries to get back up. Her wings are crumpled and a few of her feathers are falling off, but the tengu still persist to get back onto her feet. "The headstrong Hakurei shrine maiden letting a matter drop without a single danmaku bullet being fire, all because of a few word from the freelancer. What is the cause of this unprecedented event? Is it a mutual understanding from a good relationship? Or was it something more sinister, something along the line of—"

A Ying-yang orb to the head and the Tengu is taken down once again. Suwako pick up a small branch from the ground and gave her a few poke... aside from a few twitches, there's no real response from the tengu, so she's really out cold this time.

Reimu puts away her spell card and turn toward Suwako. "So what is it that you want?" She asked her.

Hearing the question, the Tiny Goddess stopped poking the downed tengu with a stick and look up at the shrine maiden. "Can I borrow him?" She pointed at me with the wooden stick in her hand.

"Me?" I blurted out in surprise.

Reimu sceptically looks at her. "What for?"

Suwako's face instantly soured at the question. "Kanako wanna see him" She answered with a pout.

"Hm..." Humming in thought, the shrine maiden turns to me. I can just imagine the gears grinding in her head as her narrowed eyes right at me. "I doubt there's anything she can do to him at the moment, so I suppose I don't have a problem with you borrowing him as long as you keep an eye on him"

"Really? Thanks! I'll be taking him then!" Without further ado, the frog girl grabbed my arm and started dragging me away.

Bewildered by the suddenness of the situation, I quickly dig my foot onto the ground. This small act of defiance didn't stop Suwako from dragging me off, but it did slow her down to a crawl. "Whoa, wait a minute! Reimu, is this really okay?" I panicky asked the shrine maiden.

"It's fine. Just make sure you don't take everything she says for granted"

"What does that mean?"

Reimu just smirked. "Later Shirou. And as promised, I'll be taking your share of the Yōkan all right?" Two hand waving later, she's walking away while humming happily, leaving me to face this random encounter by myself.

She ditched me! Dammit! That lazy good for nothing shrine maiden! She can be so un-cute sometimes... actually did she ever act cute at all?

Grumbling silently, I stop resisting and let Suwako dragged me off.

* * *

><p>Being dragged around by a relentless Goddess is a new experience for me, but after I got used to it, it didn't feel much different from keeping up with the kids back at the orphanage. Another positive note is that the rushed pace makes it hard for me to notice the attention that I was previously so aghast about.<p>

After a minute of two being dragged left and right across the party ground, I soon spotted a familiar green haired girl sitting next to an unknown woman. They did not notice us coming as they were facing the other way.

"I'm baaaack!" Waving the hand that is holding me, Suwako cheerfully makes her presence known. "Look who I found"

At the loud voice, the two female turn around toward us. The girl in the shrine maiden outfit let out a surprised gasp that she barely suppressed with her hands when she saw me. "Shirou-san? What are you...?"

Scratching my head, I just shrugged at her question. "I'm blaming this one on divine intervention..."

Suwako proudly puffed her chest. "He-he, Yup, that's me. I'm divine"

"As much as you can be in that child like body of yours" Suwako's mood instantly soured as she scowls at the no doubt harsh words. If she notices it, the blue haired woman paid no heed to the frog girl's distress as she turns to face me. "So, you're the infamous newcomer I've heard so much about. Shirou is it? Your name is easy enough to remember"

I can't help but to frown at the lady. "... And you are?"

"Kanako Yasaka, official goddess of the Moriya Shrine"

Hearing the self introduction, I just blinked once, then twice. "Oh... so you're a god too... I never would've guessed..." That was not sarcasm by the way. This Goddess lady is slouching on the ground while drinking sake. Her posture is relaxed as she leaned on a tall bottle of sake. If she didn't openly declare that she's a God, and if I don't know about Suwako being a God herself, I would've thought she's just being delusional.

The blue haired Goddess smirked while shaking her head. "I see the outside world's faith is still weak as always. But still, at least you have enough of it to accept that there are Gods in this world"

"Thanks?"

Seemingly satisfied, the Goddess raised a sake bottle towards me. "You drink?"

"...Excuse me?"

"No one here beside me can handle alcohol, so there's plenty of sake left. Care to join me?" I can hear sloshing noises when she gives the bottle a twirl. There's still a lot of sake inside that bottle.

Hm, I already drink a plenty earlier. The fresh air already cleared my earlier tipsiness, but I'm not really in the mood to get drunk again right away; I'm saving that in case I... when I bump into Suika. "A bit early for getting drunk don't you think?" I politely declined the offered drink.

"What's wrong? Can't handle your liquor?"

Hearing the taunt I quickly respond back, two seconds faster before my brain told me that giving into the taunt is a bad idea. "For your information, I can handle alcohol just fine"

I soon regretted saying that as I saw the Goddess smirked. "Good, so no reason why you can't join us. Sanae, get us another cup"

"A-as you wish Kanako-sama" The shrine maiden is quick to respond to the order.

Less than a minute later, before I can say anything, I'm already holding an empty cup that is slowly being filled by sake. "Now then, you're not leaving here till this bottle is empty. So drink up" The haughty Goddess ordered me.

I peered down at the clear liquid in my cup before looking back at her. "Don't I have a choice here?"

"Nope! This is the will of a God, so drink!"

"Seriously...?" What a lame excuse to exercise the will of Gods. But who am I to defy a God's will? As petty and weird this one is... Not caring anymore, I tilted my head back and downed the sake in one gulp.

I instantly regretted drinking the sake that fast. It's a strong sake; my throat burns and my head felt like it just get doused in cold water. Wincing in pain, I focus my willpower to shrug off the debilitating feeling. "So? What is it that you wanted from me?" I asked her through my muddy head.

She grinned. "Direct aren't you? I don't mind that kind of person. In that case, I'll go straight to the point; I want you to pray to me"

It took me a few seconds before I realize that she was being serious. "... huh?"

"Pray to me, worship me, have faith in me, visit my shrine... stuff like that"

"But why?" On the corner of my eyes I notice Sanae refilling my sake cup.

Kanako downed a glassful of sake before she answered. "We Gods depend on people's faith to survive. The more faith we got, the stronger we becomes"

"Okay, but why are you asking me? Don't you have enough already?"

"Enough, yes, but not as much as in the past. In fact, the reason we relocated to Gensokyo is because there were fewer and fewer worshiper as the years goes by" Her sudden solemn expression tells me that this is an important subject for her, so I paid close attention to this.

"Really? Why's that?" I nodded my thanks to the shrine maiden before I drink some more sake, a bit slower this time to try to keep myself as sober as much as possible.

"I'm blaming it on the rising of technology. Humans are getting stubborn and start rejecting Gods because they deemed it unscientific to rely on something they cannot see. Because of that, most Gods have washed their hand of humanity and left" She moaned in exasperation before quickly downing another sake cup. "So? How about it? Will you become a worshiper? Every single soul counts"

I instantly got three expectant eyes looking at me. Clearly Suwako and Sanae also wish for me to do this, but still...

Stalling for time to gather my thoughts, I turn my attention to the half-full sake cup in my hand and slowly drink it. I avoided eye contact with anyone until I finished with the sake. The alcohol ran out too fast for my liking, but by then I already have some semblance of what to say forming in my mind. "I... I don't know... I don't think I could... not right away at least..."

The smaller Goddess of the two is quick to retort back to my rejection. "Eeeeh, why not?" Or in her case, whined about it.

Kanako raised a hand to stop the whining. "Explain yourself"

I paused briefly to consider whether I should answer honestly or not, but since lying is a sin and there are two Goddesses right in front of me, I decided to not avoid the answer and just go with the honest truth. "It's not that I don't believe you, it's just that so far I've gone through life without relying on Gods. And suddenly asking me to do that... I'm sorry, but I can't just change my lifestyle that easily"

There's a tense silence after I finish speaking, but thankfully it didn't last long before the blue haired Goddess lightly nodded her head. "Hm... I guess I could accept that. False faiths are useless to me after all" She said with a shrug before tilting her cup and downed another cup of sake. Using her arm to wipe off any excess drops around her mouth, she leaned towards me. "Whenever you ever had a change of heart or you simply wanted to pray, feel free to come to our shrine" She told me with a grin.

Well I'm glad that she's still in a good mood, I was half expecting her to boot me away as soon as I decline to worship her. Thankfully that wasn't the case so I let myself be at ease with this group of people. "Okay, I'll do that" Is what I said to the offer. But then I realize something. "But then again, I have no idea where your shrine is. Maybe I'll just go here instead; Reimu isn't much as a shrine maiden, but this place is still a shrine right?"

I barely finish talking when the Goddess suddenly yells. "No! I forbid that!"

I nearly spilled my sake at the outburst. "H-huh? Why does it matter where I pray?" I asked in bewilderment.

"It matters completely! This old run down shrine is not my shrine! I won't be getting any faith if you come here"

"Okay? So where's your shrine then?"

"It's on top of the Youkai Mountain, a really nice place, it even got a big lake next to it"

"You really expect me to climb a mountain to get there? And make it worse; Youkai Mountain? I'm just guessing here, but won't that place be full of youkai?"

"Then just fight through them! You have been beating up youkai left and right ever since you got here right?"

"That's completely exaggerated!"

Me and Kanako were glowering at each other when Sanae decided to play peace keeper. "P-please calm down you two" She stepped between the two of us to prevent further arguments. "Kanako-sama, please try to be more considerate towards him. He just recently arrived in Gensokyo, asking him to go to an unfamiliar territory can be very dangerous for him"

"... I guess I was a bit over zealous just now" "Kanako shamefully muttered as the shrine maiden talked her down.

Satisfied that one party has been addressed, Sanae then turns toward the other party, namely me. "Shirou-san, I'm sorry for Kanako-sama's persistence; but while I agree that the Youkai Mountain can be dangerous to normal humans, it is no different to the path to the Hakurei Shrine"

"Really?"

Sanae nodded. "Yes. In fact, I would actually say that its safer coming to our shrine, provided that you do not stray from the

So it's safer huh? If she's trying to convince me to visit their shrine, then she sure make a hard sell; I'm definitely considering it now. "Hm..."

"So, will you come?" She looked at me, both her eyes sparkling with hope and expectations. Just how in the world am I supposed to say no to that?

"... I guess I could... just for a visit at least..."

Hearing my answer, the shrine maiden beamed with approval. "That's all I ask"

Seeing the happy smile on her face, I embarrassedly scratch my head. I'm quite aware that she just talked me into doing something I was previously against, but since she looks so pleased with herself; I just can't feel any regret from agreeing with her. I guess I'll check out their shrine when I have some free time.

* * *

><p>Got to say, this Goddess can really drink. The sake bottle is completely empty in just about 10 minutes with her drinking the most of it out of the two of us.<p>

I would've left as the deal is I can't leave until the bottle is empty, but I decided to stick around with them for just a bit longer. I remember them mentioning that they also come from the outside world just a few years ago, so I thought it would be nice to talk to people who have knowledge of modern technology.

The conversation started off quite normal as we talks about the random things that we miss from the outside world. I was surprised when they mentioned that they manage to procure a few simplified technologies for their shrines, the most impressive being a working fridge. Curious, I ask them what else they got, and that's when I make the mistake of mentioning television. Things went downhill from there as the conversation topic suddenly takes a drastic turn.

"So they add another robot and it makes the combined form three times stronger?"

I rub my head to stall my rising headache. "Uh... I don't know about three times... but it did beat the enemy that were beating them up..."

"That is so cool; I really want to watch that episode" Sanae is practically gushing out with excitement.

"Ahahaha..."

Okay, not exactly the conversation topic I was looking for...

It start of innocent enough, she's asking me about recent anime episodes that have been airing for a few years. And then when I mention a certain robot anime show that I shall not name for I'm sick of it already, she squealed and start asking questions about said show. That was 10 minutes ago, and I've been kicking myself for indulging her preference in the past 9 and a half minutes.

I need a break before I snap, and thankfully, I'm not the only one to feel that way.

"Sanae, the sake bottle rolled away, can you please get it for me?" Kanako pointed toward a sake bottle about 10 metres away from us and rolling further away.

The shrine maiden looks conflicted between obeying the request or not, but in the end she stands up and went to fetch it. As soon as she left the hearing distance, three relieved sigh echoes in the area.

Suwako fall backward tiredly. "Hwaaaaaah! Stop with the robot talk!" She trash around like a spoiled child that doesn't get what she wanted. Kanako beside her is also seems exhausted from hearing all the mecha talk.

Feeling mentally exhausted myself, I leaned backward using my hands to prop myself up. "Never would've pegged a shrine maiden to be a closet mecha otaku" I muttered in amazement.

"It's a disease she picked up back when we're still living in the human world. I thought she was done with that, but meeting you must've caused her to regress back" Kanako groaned tiredly. It's pretty obvious that aside from Sanae, everyone else is sick and tired of hearing about robots. "Left alone she's going to keep talking about robots for days if not weeks; we need to distract her now if we ever hope of to stop her"

"Distract her how?"

Kanako grinned. "As you said earlier, she's a closet otaku. All we have to do is make her meet people and she'll clamp up on her own"

I guess that make sense. If there are people around her that don't know about her obsession with robots, then she won't talk about it in fear of those people finding out her secret; hence the term 'closet' otaku. "Okay, so how are we doing this?"

"Not we, but you" She raised a hand to stop me before I can protest. I close my mouth just as Sanae walked back with the escaped bottle in hand. Before she can say anything, Kanako already take the bottle away from her. "Sanae, I think it's time we return him to Reimu before she start getting worried"

'_No-no-no, that'll never happen'_ I waved my hand rapidly from behind Sanae.

Kanako saw my hand movement, but aside from a smidge of grin, she didn't let it show to Sanae whom she is talking to. "Why don't you go with him, just in case some youkai tries to get their hands on him?"

"Okay, leave it to me" She sounded eager, but I can see hints of uncertainty creeping across her face. Kanako's plan to stop her otaku behaviour seems to be off with a good start. Now all I have to do is survive the walk from here to Reimu's location, which is halfway across the party ground.

As we walk away from the two Goddesses who stayed put, I turn around and silently mouthed, '_you owe me for this_' to them.

The only reply I got is a grin, a raised cup and a swift drink.

* * *

><p>"I don't know... I think the whole ending is a bit rushed..."<p>

"Probably..."

"I still think there's much more they can do, maybe add a giant transforming robot? Or a self repairing body part? Or maybe..."

"Uh-huh..."

Just my luck, this shrine maiden seems to be trying to jam as much mecha talk as she can during our walk, and honestly, I'm sick of it.

It might be rude to the enthusiastic shrine maiden, but I already tuned her out of my head ever since she starts asking questions about that mecha anime again. So that means I've been ignoring her ever since we left Kanako and Suwako.

I do notice that she clamped up every time we pass near any partygoers, so it looks like I just have to endure this torture until we get to Reimu's. It not that far anymore, I can already see her and the others just a small distance away. So I just have to hold out for another minute or two and I'm home free.

But then...

"Oh my... Kochiya-san, I haven't seen you in a while" Someone called out to Sanae.

We both stop and turn around to the voice. Standing to the side just a metre away from us is an unfamiliar lady wearing a black and white dress along with a flowing red cape. Sanae seems to know her though. "Byakuren-san?" She sounded surprise.

"How do you do, Kochiya-san" The lady formally bowed at Sanae.

The shrine maiden becomes flustered at the very formal greetings."Y-yes... it's been a while" She bowed down in return, though her posture is a bit stiff compared to the lady's natural movement.

"My, no need to be so reserved. And who is this young man beside you? He's unfamiliar to me... Oh, could he possibly be your soul mate? Congratulations, discovering each other at such a young age is a wonderful thing"

Blood rushing to her head, Sanae turns tomato red at the misassumption. "W-what? Why...? That... he's... him... uh..." She is so flustered she can't even form a sentence.

Thankfully I have a strong resistance to this kind of things due to the daily occurrence back at the club. "I'm not her boyfriend, if that's what you're implying" I deny the accusation before the lady get the wrong idea.

"Ah, my apologies for jumping to the wrong conclusion, I hope I did not offend you" The lady bowed down again in apology.

This time I did become flustered. "N-no, its fine"

"Y-yeah. I-it's no problem at all. Really" Sanae regained some of her composure as she awkwardly laughs at the situation.

"You are too kind" The lady graciously says as she straightened up. "So... who is this young man?" She curiously looks at me.

"Um... this is..." Sanae began the introduction, but then she nudged my side, her head silently gesturing toward the lady.

It looks like she wanted me to introduce myself. "Nice to meet you, my name is Shirou, I just arrived here in Gensokyo some time ago"

"Shirou... san? By chance are you that man that has been helping out at the village these days?" I nodded at the enquiry and the lady instantly became ecstatic. "How wonderful! I heard you've been doing much good for the village. The villagers told me that you are a man for hire... um... a pugilist?"

"A pugilist?" That's a rarely used terminology. What does it means again? I really can't remember...

My confusion must've translated to my face as Sanae decided to supply me with an explanation. "I think it's another word for a warrior or a fighter... though I'm not too sure..."

"Yes, a fighter, someone who fights for money is that right?"

"That makes me sounds like a mercenary... a bad one..."

"He-he, it does" Sanae quipped.

"I prefer to be called an enterprising freelancer instead. That sounded so much better... and cooler to boot"

"I see. So what is it that you do as this enterprising freelancer Shirou-san?"

"Everything, as long as it's nothing insane or suicidal to attempt" I answered her.

The shrine maiden beside me shakes her head. "Normal humans would count going into the forest of magic alone as insane Shirou-san" She scolded me in a disapproving tone, like a mother telling their children that they just did a bad thing, or in my case, in a similar tone as the matron uses when she's scolding me.

"Uu..."Under such familiar tone, I didn't last even a second before I admit defeat.

The lady giggled at my downcast look. "How interesting, and what about wild youkai? Have you encountered any?"

That is a weird question to be asked by such a nice looking lady, but I shrugged and answered nonetheless. "More than I like, you'd think they would leave me alone after I beat up enough of them, but I still getting attacked once in a while"

That surprises the lady. "You beat them up? How?" She repeated in awe.

I lightly patted my sword hilt. "Multiple hits to the head. Even with this blunt sword, a good solid hit to the head can still knock out a youkai, or at the very least dazed them enough for me to run" I selectively omitted the fact that I rarely runs away from youkai. Most of the hungry youkai that attacks me usually ends up floored on the ground, all suffering from cranium damage, or crushed wind pipe, or from getting their face bashed in, or a combination of those.

Its dirty fighting, and I'm not proud of what I did, but beggars can't be choosers, especially if said beggar lives in a man eat man area, literally.

As I mentally make excuses in my mind, the lady then asked another weird question. "Then have you ever killed a youkai?"

"Kill? Why do I wanna do that?"

"Because that's what they're trying to do to you. Really Shirou-san, I can see why Reimu is so troubled from trying to watch over you" Sanae scolded me once again.

"Uu... I'm sorry..."

"Huhuhu. What a fascinating boy. Shirou-san, you should come visit my temple, maybe we can help you with your youkai problem"

"Really? That would be a big help. Thank you very much Miss... um..." I suddenly realize just how little I know of this lady.

"Oh my, where are my manners, I've neglected to introduce myself" The lady bowed down once again. "My name is Byakuren Hijiri. I am pleased to make your acquaintance Shirou-san"

"Y-yeah, likewise"

The lady gently smiled before she casually glances upward. "Oh my, time sure flies fast when one are having a good time. Please forgive my abrupt departure, but I must now return to the shrine"

"You're leaving already Byakuren-san?" Sanae asked.

"Indeed, there are prayer preparations to be done, and I'm afraid the others back home are unable to perform the necessary preparations without my supervision" She sounded tired, but the genuine smile on her face indicate that she don't really mind the trouble. A clear contrast to Reimu who complains about every problem she faces, even the smallest ones. "I'll be taking my leave now. Have a pleasant day to the both of you" Byakuren bowed one last time before she turn and walks away.

Me and Sanae watch her leave. "She seems nice" I commented. First impression is important, and I'd say she nailed this first meeting very nicely, albeit her overly formal manner of speech and conduct is a bit weird for me.

"Yeah well, Byakuren-san is one of the calmer people around here. But that doesn't mean she can't be dangerous if she wants too"

"Doesn't that make pretty much everyone here? By the way, what temple was she talking about?"

"The Myouren Temple. It's a temple at the north side of the village. I'm surprised that you never been there... that place is pretty popular since it's easy to access for both human and youkai"

"...You sounded jealous"

"N-no I'm not. Reimu is just over there right? Let's go"

"Yeah-yeah, lead the way"

* * *

><p>The first thing I notice when I arrive at Reimu's place is that neither of the magicians is in sight. The second thing I notice is the multiple stab holes on the right edge of the sitting mat. And lastly, there's a number of empty sake bottle littering the ground. Reimu and Yukari are both here, and so does Yuyuko. I also spotted Youmu a few steps away talking to a girl that I don't know.<p>

Yuyuko is the first one to notice us as we arrive. "It's the other shrine maiden plus Kuro. Did you bring him back for us? How very kind of you"

Sanae paused for a second when she saw the ghostly lady. "What is the ghost princess doing here?" Her voice lacked any emotions, but from the way she furrowed her brow, it looks like she's not happy about Yuyuko being here.

Reimu shrugged. "I wish I have an answer to that... have a seat Sanae. And Shirou, what nice timing, someone came looking for you"

"Looking for me?"

"Yeah, she's over there talking with Youmu" The red-white shrine maiden uses her thumb to point at the half-ghost gardener behind her.

Youmu choose that moment to turn around. "Ah, Shirou-san"

Hearing my name, the unknown girl grinned. "Shirou eh? So he's the one?" Not saying anything else, the girl takes a step towards me and then...

A flash of steel, and I suddenly found myself in a dangerous situation.

"E-excuse me, would you mind moving your weapon? It looks really sharp... and I'm honestly not comfortable with my current position" I replace cold fear with politeness as I talk to the wielder of the giant scythe.

"Aw, but it look so lovely around your neck" The way she cooed would be so much more charming if she wasn't holding a giant scythe around my neck!

"Help..." Glancing around, I saw Yukari just smiling at my dilemma while Yuyuko is too busy with eating some red bean dumplings. The one that actually looks worried at my situation is Sanae and Youmu, but neither seems unsure on what they should do. As for Reimu...

"Stand down shinigami, as you can see, he's not a wayward spirit" The shrine maiden calmly said while sipping on her tea.

"I can see that, but didn't you say he was earlier?" The red haired girl replied back, her giant scythe inching dangerously close to my neck.

"That was then and this is now. So lower your scythe"

The girl that Reimu called shinigami frowned as she peers closer to my face. I wanted to squirm under the intense scrutiny I'm being subjected to, but I just stay very still in fear of cutting my own neck. The stare down might've lasted for seconds or minutes, but to me it felt like hours before the girl withdraw her scythe.

Clear from danger, my legs instantly felt like jelly and I trip and fall down on to the ground. Youmu is quick to offer me a cup of tea and I gratefully gulped it down.

Even with the soothing warm tea it still took me a full minute to recover before I can think well enough to start asking question. Of course, the first question that pops in mind is, "What the hell was that about?!" I would've shouted it loudly, but my shaky nerve does not allow that.

The scythe lady and Reimu exchanges glances before the both sighed simultaneously. They then take turn explaining things, each with their own perspective. Reimu explained to me that when Yuyuko 'hugged' me earlier, it trigger my ability, which turns me a bit... ghostly if that's an actual term. The scythe lady here, whose name is Komachi, is an actual shinigami. Apparently her boss, King Yama sensed my temporal shift to the ghost side. Unable to confirm it since I only going ghost for less than a minute, she sends Komachi to investigate.

I just stare blankly at their explanation. It makes as much sense as my existence copying ability. Shinigami? Yama? And me being mistaken as a rampant spirit? The hell?

As they finish talking, the first thing I do is turn to the ghostly princess who's been munching on snacks all this time. "No more 'hugs' okay Yuyuko?"

"Aww..." The ghost lady whined. I should feel bad about 'potentially' hurting Yuyuko's feeling, but since all she need is a single cup cake to bounce back to her usual chirpy self, that makes it a useless sentiment.

"So that's that. What are you going to do now shinigami?" Reimu asked the scythe wielding girl.

"Hm... Shieki-sama told me to investigate, but she clearly doesn't specify what I'm supposed to do in this kind of situation... I guess I should investigate this a bit longer... and while I'm at it, I should probably blend in with the locale as well since it'll help with my investigation..."

"So basically you're staying for the party"

"Of course! The dead can wait a bit longer"

* * *

><p>"I think the outside term would be, 'Normal is overrated' is it not?" Yukari told me. According to her, it's already been a full month since I got here, and so far, I've performed exactly as she wanted me too. I of course complained about the number of unnatural things I've encountered so far, and that's the reply I got. "But complaining aside, you've adapted quite well to Gensokyo"<p>

"What's your first clue? That I haven't been eaten yet?" I didn't normally sound this snappish, but it's hard to keep a clear mind when talking to this particular gap youkai. But whether I offends her or not is hard to tell since she always got that unnerving smile on her face.

Then occasionally, said haughty smile turn impish, like right now. "So I've been wondering, why were you getting so flustered from being surrounded by so many females?" And as expected, she threw a hard ball with that question. Even by reading the telltale sign, I am still caught unaware by it.

"W-why do you think I'm being flustered? I used to work at a night club you know" I tried to put up a brave front against this relentless attacker. A futile effort as the impish grin just went wider.

"And yet you're still being pushed around by girls. That's sad really..."

"Uu... Gimme a break..." I reached out for my tea cup in an attempt to cover my embarrassment.

"Man up! Be more confident! You should be excited that you're living with beautiful girls all around you. Doesn't it feel like you got your very own harem this way?"

Tea went spurting out from my mouth at that dangerous comment, straight into a small black gap that opened up between me and Yukari. I paid no heed to the splashing sound to my side as I blanched at this youkai. "T-that's just...are you trying to get me killed?" I quickly look around to see if anyone else heard it and inwardly cry manly tear of joy as no one else seem to have heard Yukari's tasteless comment.

"Fufu, I see your self-preservation instinct is highly active as always. But have no fear; I'm sure most people here will just beat you senseless instead of killing you outright"

"That's just... great... you'll excuse me if I prefer to avoid such situation right?"

"Of course. It is the right of every creature to choose between flight or fight" She told me as she takes a sip of her tea. "But as I'm sure you've realize, some situations does not grant you the luxury of choosing" She then points at something behind me.

Dreading to see what Yukari is pointing me at, I am slow to turn around. But then, the issue of looking at the coming situation or staying blissfully unaware is quick to become moot as the 'unavoidable' situation gets a hand on me.

"Found you!" A chirpy voice rang out as I felt a pair of tiny hand grab hold of my shoulders.

Glancing back, I quickly spotted my captor. "Suika?" There's no mistaking that little body and the large horns, which means that there's no way I can run away now that she got a hold on me, hence an unavoidable situation.

"Hey Reimu, I'm borrowing him okay?"

The shrine maiden frowned as she looks at the little oni, then to me, then back to the little oni. "Hm... Sure, knock yourself out. Just don't kill him okay?"

"No problem! C'mon Shirou, drink with me"

With her oni strength, I am yanked up to my feet as she dragged me with her. "Whoa! Okay, slow down!"

As I'm being dragged by the oni, I saw Yukari waving her hand. "Have fun"

"Dammit Yukari!"

* * *

><p>A distance away from the shrine maiden's group, sits another group of people. This group is the smallest out of all the partying people, as they are only comprised of two people. The group's party site is also unattractive to the others, located at the farthest place from centre of the festivities, near the edge of the cheery trees.<p>

It is unknown why they choose such a deserted location to enjoy the party, but none of the party goers actually bothers to get close to them since no one want to bother associating with a certain spoiled princess that sits with the group. Well, most of the people at least...

"Coming through. Watch it. Out of the way!" A certain oni barrelled through the party area as she makes a beeline straight to these two.

"Dammit, she's back again?" One of the two is quick to make her annoyance known.

"Patience Eldest Daughter, one should not be swayed by their emotions so easily..."

"Yeah-yeah, whatever"

"... In addition, one should also not hide behind their emotion either'"

"What was that supposed to mean? It's not like I'm happy because that damn annoying Oni is back"

"... As you say. But it seems that our little friend is accompanying another guest with her"

"Another guest?"

* * *

><p>"I'm back...!" Suika declared loudly as she skidded to a stop after barrelling through the party ground. No one is brave enough to stand in her way and quickly move out of the way as she run past, so we get here pretty damn fast.<p>

Letting go of my arm, Suika quickly dive into a small stash of sake bottles on the ground. Ignoring the clanging bottle as she sort through the empty ones to find a filled one, I opted to soothe my aching arm which I think is a few tug away from being dislocated. Looking around, there are two girls aside from me and Suika, both having long flowing blue hair. One is calmly drinking her tea while the other one is...

"Oi you, who are you?" She asked me.

"Huh?"

"I said, who are you?"

"... My name is Shirou... why are—"

"I'm not asking your name. I wanna know why that Oni has brought you here?!" She brazenly interrupted me without even hearing me out. Rude much?

Suika then chooses to pop back, having sorted through the sake bottles and finding them all to be empty. "Shirou, this is Tenshi. She's my neighbour"

"Your neighbour?" I shudder at the thought of having either of these two as neighbour.

"Quiet you, I'm asking him questions, and you're trespassing on my home, that does not mean I accept you living there" The rude girl scowled at the oni.

"Yeah yeah, just try and kick me out if you really don't like it"

"Grh... I hate you so much..."

"Love you too. Hey oarfish, where's the sake?"

The other girl replied by holding out a pair of different size sake saucers, the big one is filled to the brim while the smaller one is only half full. "Here you are Suika-san, Shirou-san"

Suika instantly went for the big saucer while I take the smaller one. "That was fast, thank you" And thank you for giving me the smaller saucer too.

The girl shakes her head. "It is not a problem, I merely read the mood of the conversation and prepare accordingly"

"... Meaning?"

"Please do not concern yourself with my person, do enjoy the drinks" Wow, she's really polite, over the top polite if such thing is possible.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!"

... And a spoiled brat accompanying the mature adult... what a cliché pair. "Calm down, no need to yell, so what do you want?" I asked the brat.

"I'm asking why this Oni brought you here. What's so interesting about you? You seem boring"

Ugh. How rude can this girl be? Does the word 'tact' means nothing to her at all? I force a smile onto my face. "I'm... not sure how to answer that... how do you define interesting?"

"Anything that's not boring, and at the moment you're it"

Suika who already emptied her sake saucer is quick to defend me. "He's not boring, he's a fun human. Different from Reimu, but still fun"

"How is he fun? He seem pretty normal to me, looks kind of stupid also"

"He's not that normal. Did you know that he can-Mrmph?" Suika didn't even resist when I force fed her sake gourd into her mouth to shut her up. Seriously, I'm trying to be incognito here; the less people know about THAT the better.

I nervously chuckle to hide my obvious discomfort. "So... uh... assuming that I'm interesting enough for you, can you tell me your name?" I asked while slowly letting go of Suika's gourd now that she's already drinking it by herself.

"..."

"Eldest Daughter, the man is asking your name. Do introduce yourself with proper manners"

"... Tenshi Hinanawi, Nice to meet you I guess..." A half hearted greeting. She barely put any effort into that greeting, meaning she doesn't give a damn about me.

Really starting to get pissed off here...

"My apologies. The eldest daughter is still lacking the proper education regarding her etiquette"

"Hmph"

"... Its fine... and you are?"

"My name is Iku Nagae, envoy of the dragon palace. It is a pleasure to met you Shirou-san"

Dragon palace? Sounds like a really important place. Is her well mannered speech comes from being this... envoy? Still, this girl seems friendly; she hasn't made any threat or unreasonable demands yet, so I guess she's a 'safe' one for me to talk to.

Suika then jump back into the conversation having drunk her fill of sake. "Hey-hey, give me more sake" At this point I'm no longer surprised to hear the little Oni asking for more sake though she was just gulping down from her sake gourd for a full minute or two.

"Why don't you just drink from that gourd of yours? Isn't it self replenishing?"

"It's the principle of the matter, very important"

"I can't understand that. The moment there's no sake around you'll just go back to drinking from it again, so why bother?"

"... It's so sad to a celestial without respect for sake..."

"Ugh, again with that damned concept of logic. Please tell me not all oni have the same annoying thought process as you..."

"Well actually..."

I turn my attention away from the two quarrelling neighbours toward the quiet girl who's calmly drinking a cup of tea. She looks up just as my eyes landed on her. "You have a question" She said, less of a question but more like a statement.

"H-huh? I-it's nothing important" It's true that I've been wondering about something, but I was worried it wasn't my place to ask something like this.

"It's fine. Ask away and I shall answer to the best of my ability"

"Well... "I take a quick look at the quarrelling two, and seeing that they're too busy to notice me, I ask away."What's a celestial?"

The only hint that the girl is surprised is a slight widening in her eyes. Other than that, there's no other visible sign. "A curious question. Especially from a human"

"Is it bad...?"

She waved of my concerns. "No, it's fine; there are no rules that forbid imparting such trivial knowledge to humans. Though the same can't be said otherwise if you dig too deep. To answer your question, Celestial are former mortals, those that have achieved immortality and ascended to Heaven or entered Nirvana through enlightenment"

"I see... and she's one of them?" I glanced back at Tenshi who is still arguing with Suika.

"Indeed, and so am I"

"Oh, okay" I embarrassedly scratches my head. "Then... you two are from Heaven? Because that girl over there really didn't strike me as the Nirvana type..." I could be wrong and assumed too much based on stereotypes, but if that rude girl is an enlightened being, then there's something seriously wrong with the way the universe think...

"Indeed, The Eldest Daughter and I hail from the Heaven" Then the corner of her mouth tugged downward just the slightest. "But please do not be so quick to judge The Eldest Daughter, deep down her soul is the purest of everyone here"

"Eldest daughter? That rude brat there?" I pointed at the other blue haired girl who's currently running around chasing Suika.

"Indeed" She didn't seem to mind when I called out this 'Eldest Daughter' as a rude brat, so even she must've realize that the girl can be incorrigible in some part. "With inner tranquillity that flows like a river, one can control the flow of another without being hauled by it"

"Uh... come again?"

My conversation partner smiled ever the slightest. "Have some patience with her, that's all I ask" Her head then tilted slightly to the side. "For now, I highly suggest you finish your drink as the Eldest Daughter is coming back, with the Oni close behind her. I fear what she'll do to you if she saw you have yet to touch her offering"

That's a really good point. I was so absorbed by the conversation that I forget about the sake saucer in my hand. Suika won't be happy if she saw that I haven't drunk even a single drop of it. Left with little options, I lifted the saucer to my mouth, fully intending to drink it quickly.

"A word if I may, I suggest that you..."

I lifted the saucer up and drink down the sake as fast as I can.

"... Drink it slowly for it is very strong sake" The polite girl eyes narrowed as she cringed at her late warning.

I didn't even have time to regret my action as of the alcohol quickly flooded my senses. From that small saucer, I felt like I just drink a whole litre or two of alcohol. My vision instantly becomes blurry and my head hurts. Then I fell wobbly and...

I black out.

When I came to again, I found the ground is just a few metres away from my face. Only thing stoping me from falling face first onto the solid ground is the hand on my shoulder that is keeping me propped up. I can hear the voices talking, but it seems so distant so I put my focus on righting myself up using my own hands.

My ears are buzzing with sound, so when I felt something wet near my mouth, I move away from it, not wanting to drink anymore. "...rou-san, Shirou-san. It's just water, please drink it" A calm voice pierces through the haze around me.

"Wa...ter...?" My throat is hoarse as if it was just set on fire. Deciding to trust the voice, I didn't back away this time when a hand brought the wet thing back to my mouth. Opening my mouth slightly, I drink the cool water down slowly. I didn't move at all until there's nothing left on the cup.

"How are you feeling Shirou-san?" A voice I have yet to identify asked me.

"Been better..." I groaned out. Blinking my eyes, I slowly regained my sight thought everything is still a bit blurry. "... What happened?"

"You were unconscious for a full minute. I apologize for being unable to warn you in time before you drank your sake"

"Unconscious? I thought you were dead! What were you thinking when you drink that shady sake?" Another familiar voice, this one sounded more ridiculing instead of worrying.

"It's good sake right? I took it straight from Yuugi's stash. Way better than the cheap sake the celestials drink"

"Our sake is just fine. But comparing it to the sake you Oni's like is like comparing water and fire. How can you people drink that thing?"

"But that's what sake is all about. The stronger the better"

"It's strong enough to knock out a bear!"

"While I have no qualms about expressing one's opinion, do remember to lower your tone. Our guest here is still recovering" The calm voice chided the two.

I silently thanked the calm voice as I focus on regaining senses I can get back. Blinking my eyes and lightly moving my limbs, I slowly force my body to work again despite the current inhibition that was placed upon it. It's an undependable method, one that is heavily relying on my willpower, but it's the only thing I can do right now.

It took a while but I slowly regained my senses back. Where I was previously at a completely smashed state from the alcohol, I have successfully force myself to shift down into the happily drunk state.

My eyes regaining my focus, I slowly look around me; Suika is drinking sake obviously, Tenshi is seems bored as she gazes at the sky, and Iku is...

"Have some more water Shirou-san" The calm girl holds up a cup of water to me. Lightly making a fist with my right hand and satisfied at the amount of grip I can exert with my hand, I slowly reach out and take the offered cup.

Drinking the water, I felt my mind become a bit more clearer thanks to the refreshing liquid. Putting down the cup, I let out a pained sigh. "... That's enough sake for today"

Suika is quick to voice her complain. "Eh? Why not? You're fine now aren't you?"

"I'm barely fine, and my head is still killing me... I'm really not looking forward to going home in this condition"

"Then why don't you just stay over at the shrine for the night? That way you can drink even more. Reimu won't mind, it's not the first time right?"

The instant Suika finish talking a hacking coughing and spurting noises came from Tenshi. I can't be bothered to look at her, but I'm guessing she just choke on her drink or something.

"Eldest Daughter! Such manner is very unbecoming"

"I'm sorry but YOU did WHAT?!"

* * *

><p>Explaining what happened on my first day in Gensokyo is a bit tricky since the witnesses to that event are currently drunk. While my headache is slowly lessening as time pass, I am still far from sober, and Suika being the drunken Oni that she is didn't help much either. Thankfully Iku is nothing but patience with us, and slowly but surely, the story of that day is told.<p>

As we finish with the story telling, Iku is slowly nodding her head in understanding. "I see... under the circumstances I believe the course of action taken on that night is completely within the boundary of rationality. Turning you away would lower my opinion of the shrine maiden"

"He-he, and after that he promised to drink with me anytime anywhere" Suika happily slurred. She's been drinking non-stop as if to re-enact how much she drink on that day so she's currently the most drunk I've seen her ever since I got here.

"Not one of my best promises, but a man's got to live by his word" I shrugged lightly as I quote one of the boss' classier saying." Anyway, I've been meaning to ask for a while now, but what's wrong with her?" I nervously glance at the Eldest Daughter of the Celestial.

"..." If looks can dig a hole, there would be a massive hole on my face right now. She has been staring at me all this time with a weird look on her face.

"My apologies, but the subject of the conversation seems to be a bit much for the Eldest Daughter's innocent mind"

"Innocent... mind...? I'm going to regret asking this, but what exactly do you think happened when I stay with Reimu?"

Tenshi is startled out of her staring when I asked the question at her. "I... uh... when a boy and girl... you know..." I can just imagine the gear in her mind grinded to a halt from over thinking.

Seeing her face slowly reddening, I quickly move to save her brain from overheating, and not to mention spare us both from the embarrassment. "Okay, I regret it already. Just stop talking; I already know where this is going"

"Oooooh, Tenshi's having dirty thoughts" Suika teasing her innocent minded neighbour.

And like a bomb went off, the small blush on Tenshi's face instantly intensify, turning her face nearly blood red. "S-s-shut up! I was not! It's just that the idea of him spending the night with her, it's just... it's..." Her face is getting redder and redder. She probably would've burst a blood vessel if not for Iku who calmly hold her face to the side and start pinching her cheeks to divert her attention away.

Seeing how Tenshi act does makes me feel self-conscious too. "... I think something inside me just died a little..." I joke it off.

"He-he, wait till I tell Reimu about this"

All jokes disappear from my mind. "You do that and I'm really gonna die" I told the Oni a matter-of-factly.

"You're right... oh well..." Suika shrugged before she starts drinking again. By the way, that sake that knocks me out earlier, she ended up finishing the rest of the bottle by herself. Such resilience, just how did this small body endure so much alcohol running in her system?

It took a while before Tenshi stops looking at me weird, maybe close to an hour or so. I really welcome the peace and quiet during that time; it's just what I need to combat the alcohol from my system. It's a hard struggle, and many times I'm tempted to try using my spell card on Suika in hopes to acquire the Oni's alcohol tolerance, but I decided otherwise since the potential for it to backfire on me is much higher than the benefit.

But sadly for me, the quiet moment didn't last forever as Tenshi starts bombarding me with questions again; her previous assessment that I was a boring person seems to have flown out of her mind judging by her eagerness. Her relentless questioning starts to cause my headache to come back with a vengeance as I listen to her asking me about what I've been doing in Gensokyo and stuff. Of course I try answering as best I can since her childlike curiosity is not exactly a bad thing, but as my headache starts to mount up, enough is enough.

"Enough about me, what about you instead? What do you do up there in Celestia?" I asked her in an attempt to shift the conversation away from me.

"Hm? Oh, nothing special really... keeping watch on artefacts, um...cleaning... taking care of the peach garden... But it's boring so I usually just let the servants handle those" She listed a number of things that she's in charge of doing up in the heavens while at the same time mentioning how she usually shirk off her duties.

Wow, she's such brat... Matron would have a field day with her if she manages to get her hand on this brat. If memory serves... she'll start off with a stern lecture, then the usual disappointed sigh, and when all else fail, a round of spanking delivered to the rear...

This brat is really lucky to have never met my matron... though if they ever met, it would make for a very funny sight.

"Eldest Daughter, please show some discretion, it's inappropriate of you to reveal the inner working of the afterlife to a human" Iku scolded her.

Tenshi waved it off. "It's fine. It's not like this guy will go to Heaven right?"

Words cannot describe what I'm feeling at this moment. It's like I was hit by a force that makes Marisa's 'Master Spark' feels tame in comparison. A Celestial being just told me I won't go to Heaven... Just how am I supposed to react to that?

"Forgive her Shirou-san, the Eldest Daughter means no harm with that statement"

"Uu..."

"Sake?" In a rare moment of empathy, Suika offered me her sake gourd.

"... gimme that" And against my better judgement I took the gourd from her. But hey, I'm troubled. Sometimes getting drunk is exactly what people need. I'm already drunk, so what's the worst that could happen?

* * *

><p>My consciousness slowly returns, and as soon as it does, I really wish it didn't. My head hurt so much; this must be the Godmother of all hangovers the boss once told me about. Maybe I should just pass out again... yeah, that sounds like a good idea... Just a quick rest...<p>

_But where am I?_ A tiny voice in the back of my mind refuses to rest. _Must wake up, see what's going on_. My mind slowly starts churning again amidst the lure of blissful sleep. Forcing my heavily lidded eyes to open, the dark veil I'm seeing slowly brightened. "Urgh..." I groaned in pain as a reddish ray hit me right in the eye.

"Shirou-san?" I heard someone say my name amidst the thundering echo of my heartbeat.

"Mm...? Who is it...?" My voice came out cracked and hoarse, can't be helped since I felt like someone lit a furnace in my throat, it's so dry and parched.

A figure hovered above me. "You're awake, how are you feeling?" It took a few seconds before the blurriness fades away. When my sight somewhat cleared, I saw a girl with bunny ears I once met at that house in the bamboo forest, the one with the lunacy eyes if I remember correctly.

"... I feel like crap"

The bunny... I mean rabbit girl move away from my vision for a bit before she came back holding a cup. "Here, drink this. It's medicine. Master said you should drink it as soon as you woke up"

"No medicine... willpower is enough..." I gritted through clenched teeth.

"Master said you must drink it. It's good for your headache"

"Don't wanna..."

"... Master also said I should use this syringe to give you the medicine if you refuse to drink the medicine by yourself"

I must've paled even more when the rabbit girl shows me the sharp pointy thing in her hand. I would've bolted if condition provides, but as I am I can't even roll away from the pointy thing. "N-no... no needle... why do you even have that?"

"The gap youkai told us that you don't like taking medicine, so master prepared this syringe just in case you're being difficult"

"Dammit Yukari"

"Well?"

Either medicine or needle, the choice is pretty clear for me. "Fine... I'll drink the medicine..." It's the lesser evil... way better than having a needle inserted into your body where it then secretes an unknown liquid straight into the blood stream.

"Here you go, finish the whole cup please" The rabbit lifted the top of my body up so I'm in a sitting position before placing the cup back in my mouth. Having little choice, I slowly drink the medicine from the cup. It tasted weird as the unknown substance tickles my taste bud, but as far as medicine goes, this is actually not so bad taste wise.

The rabbit girl move the cup away from me as I finish drinking it and lay me back down. "Okay, the medicine is fast acting, but some rest would help" She told me as she moves away to put the medicine and the God forbid needle away.

"Hah... no complain here..." I sighed while staring at the ceiling of the room I'm in. This looks familiar, if I to warrant a guess, this is the inside of Reimu's shrine. Been a while since I been here, but it still looks exactly the same as last time. Turning my head slightly, I spotted a sliding door that leads outside if I remember correctly. There's a reddish light peeking through the thin door, is it dusk already? "How long was I out?" I try asking the rabbit girl.

The rabbit girl thought for a bit before she answers. "I remember you drunkenly stumbling your way into us a few hours ago, so you were out for quite a while" She then shakes her head, her long ears flapping left and right as she does so. "Everyone is very surprised when you just suddenly collapse like that. We thought you were dead until master told us you were just half-comatose from drinking too much"

"Ahaha..." Comatose is the second last state that people can enter from over drinking, with death as the first one... so if I wanna be technical about it, I was wandering a bit too close to death's door just now. "So how do I get here?"

"Well, we were unsure on how to handle you at first, master was actually planning to take you home for treatment, but then the school teacher came by with some carrot cakes that she made. She was surprised to see you in that state, and after we explained things, she suggested we take you to the Hakurei shrine maiden since apparently she's supposed to be responsible about you?"

I just grunted at the questioning tone the rabbit has at me and Reimu's weird relations. "I take it she wasn't happy about it?"

"She was livid when me and master brought you to her, but she calm down fast enough when we explained that you were already in a bad shape when we find you. She said she was half-expecting this to happen"

"Haah... seriously Reimu..." I grumbled. So she already knows this might happens when she let Suika drag me away and she still let her? Just how irresponsible can one be? "So where is she? And for that matter, where's your master? You said she was here when I was out?"

"The shrine maiden left after she told us to put you in here, and master has to go back to the princess when she and Mokou-san nearly tries to kill each other in the middle of the party"

"Mokou... You mean that fire girl? How did that happened?!"

"It seems Tewi likes the carrot cake so much she went and went to get more from the school teacher without asking. Mokou-san was not happy about it and gives chase. And since Tewi went straight back..."

"Those two meet and starts fighting straight away? Did they hate each other that much?"

"...It's... complicated..." The rabbit girl fidgeted nervously. Judging by how she acts, it looks like there's a story behind the hatred between those two, one that is doubtfully a happy story.

"I see, forget I asked"

"O-okay... Anyway, the medicine should've worked by now. How are you feeling Shirou-san?"

Now that she mentioned it, I feel just fine. For a while now there's no headache, no sore joints, and no urge to vomit. My body felt completely refreshed with no hints of hangover at all. In fact, I feel like I just wake up from a good night sleep. "Oh wow, I feel great"

The rabbit girl smiled at my amazement. "Master's medicine is really effective. Just take it easy for the rest of the day and you'll be fine"

"Okay, thanks for keeping watch over me... um... what's your name again?"

"Reisen Udonge Inaba. But please call me Reisen, it's what Tewi and the other rabbits calls me"

"Okay, thank you Reisen"

She stands up. "You're welcome. I'll see you-"The ground suddenly quaked in great force. Reisen lost her balance and falls backward onto the floor.

I bolted upright in surprise. "Earthquake?"

Reisen got up on all four and confusedly looks around. "N-no, that wasn't..."

The ground suddenly shakes again. The same pattern, a short big quake followed by a loud noise. As the ringing in my ear died down I can hear some commotion coming from the shrine's backyard where the party is at.

Then the ground shakes once again.

"That was..." Reisen muttered slowly, her long ears twitched slightly.

Me and Reisen, with her avoiding eye contact as usual, glance at each other. In an unspoken agreement we quietly move to the back door. As we near the door, I can start to make out the commotion from back there. Stopping behind the door, I carefully slide the door open slightly before taking a peek outside.

* * *

><p>It is chaos on the party ground. Less than a minute ago people were having fun or finishing up for the day, but now there is nothing there but pandemonium.<p>

"Run away! Giant Oni on a rampage!"

"Scatter!" A number of colourful lights streak through the reddening sky, away from the shrine.

"Haha... Let's play..." Suika slurred as she drunkenly moved around. For each step she takes the ground shakes and people scatter to get away from her feet.

Her current target, a certain magician in black and white, is flying as fast as she can away from the Oni's reach. "Aaahhh! Stop chasing me! Go get Reimu instead!"

The Oni stopped and slowly turn around at hew new target. "Reimu ...?"

The shrine maiden stopped dead in her track like a deer caught in a headlight as the Oni's eyes landed on her. She soon back in motion when the Oni moves towards her. "Dammit! I'll remember this Marisa!" She screamed out as she ducked under the Oni's palm.

The chase lasted for quite a while; a few unfortunate cheery trees were toppled down and the lands were scarred for every quaking step the Oni takes. But finally, like a child tired of her current toy, the Oni slowed down before she starts looking around. "Mm... where's Shirou... he said he'll drink with me..."

If one were to pay attention during this time, they can probably hear an undignified yelp coming from the shrine.

Reimu who is fully aware of where the boy is currently resting is all but panicking at the situation. She actually flew close to the Oni's face to get her attention. "Shirou's not here anymore, right Youmu?" She threw the question to the half-ghost who is floating a few metres away from her.

The half-ghost is surprised at the sudden question. She is quite aware of where the boy is since she helped to move him there. "Eh? Shirou-san... He uh... He already went home! Right Yuyuko-sama?" She questioned her mistress who is amusedly watching the whole chaos beside her.

The ghost princess too is aware of his location since she's the one who told Youmu to help move him there. "Hm~~? He's not home silly; he's napping inside the shrine right?"

At Yuyuko's very honest answer, the Oni slowly turns her attention to the nearby building. "Shrine...?"

"AAAH! LEAVE MY SHRINE ALONE!" The shrine maiden's plea falls into deaf Oni ear as the very inebriated girl starts moving towards the shrine.

"Shirou... come out and play..." The oni slurred as she close in to the shrine. Stopping next to the building, she reaches out for the roof of the building.

To all who's currently watching, it looks like the second destruction of the Hakurei Shrine is all but inevitable. But then, just before the oni causes any damage to the run down shrine, the shrine's door flew open and from it a figure quickly flew right past the oni and into the air.

* * *

><p>With her hands securely wrapped around my chest, Reisen flew out of the shrine just seconds away before Suika's large hand actually cause damages. It's not the best position for me, but since we only have a few seconds before the shrine were brought down over our head, this small discomfort will have to do.<p>

"Holy heck! Little Suika has grown!" Where she usually stands just slightly above my waist not counting her horn, she now stands at least 30 foot tall not counting her horns. "I thought people get taller with milk, not sake!"

"You can still joke around at this situation?" Reisen asked in disbelief. She has stopped moving and now hover a good safe distance away from the very large Oni.

"Let me think, we're way up in the air and there's a giant oni that wants play with me. I can either try to laugh it off or start freaking out" I retort back in barely suppressed panic.

"Shirou... Come down here" I hear Suika slurred drunkenly. Looking at the direction of the shrine, I saw the giant oni and her...

"Reisen!" I screamed out.

"Whoa!" She saw what's coming just a split second after I saw it and she moves away just as a massive gourd flew right where we were at. Missing its intended target or not, the giant sake container continues its trajectory, smashing onto the ground strong enough to leave a giant crater and creating a shockwave.

"Eek" The shockwave hit us. Reisen unable to cope with the sudden pressure were thrown off balance in the air and starts falling down. Thankfully she didn't lose her grip on me, but that also means I am also going down along with her.

"R-Reisen, anytime now" I worriedly said as I notice the ground is getting closer and closer even. Right at the last moment, just before we slammed to the ground, Reisen managed to straighten herself up and start heading up again. Unfortunately, on her way up there's a very inconveniently tree rooted in the way. Thinking quickly, I swing my legs upward and then...

Sakura petals falls down as the tree shook when my feet make contact with the tree trunk. "O-Ouch..." I can feel the impact redistributed throughout my body, leaving a trail of cold tingling feeling all the way down my spine.

"S-Shirou, are you okay?" Reisen asked worriedly.

"Just... P-peachy... Ahaha... Ow..." My leg and spine tingle at the extreme pressure it was just subjected to.

"I'm sorry, that was my mistake. I should've..."

"Shirou... drink with me..."

Acting in instinct, Reisen shot upward just in time to dodge a giant hand. Missing its mark, said hand instead grabbed the sakura tree and easily pulled it out like a twig. A loud crack echoes in my ear as the tree snapped in half like a twig...

My eyes were fixated on the broken tree as the pieces fell onto the ground. "So... how do you all usually handle a giant oni on a drunken rampage?" I fearfully asked.

"... I'm... not sure..."

"Can't we just knock her out or something?"

"I wish" My plan was shot down the instant it left my mouth.

Looking to my right, I saw a familiar red-white shrine maiden flying next to us. "Reimu?"

"For one, Oni can take a lot of damage, attacking her might just provoke her even more, and that'll just cause more damage to my shrine!"

Ugh, reasonable explanation aside, I don't think her shrine even makes it onto my list of important things right now.

Reimu rubs her head tiredly. "Dammit, why do you have to indulge her with drinking? This is such a bother..."

There's no way I'm going to let that comment slide. "How is this my fault?!"

"She's currently rampaging around for you, it's completely your fault"

"I wasn't the one that got her this drunk!"

"You're indirectly responsible for it!"

"What!? You're the one that's supposed to keep watch here, so this is more of your fault than mine!"

"How can I keep watch when I also have to take care of you?! Let's remember who was brought to me completely passed out from drinking with an Oni"

"Don't give me that excuse! You barely stayed with me!"

"That's because I have to run interference after you drunken episode! Or did you actually think you just stumble onto the Eintei group straight away?!"

Our argument probably would've kept going for much longer if not for Reisen. "Um... excuse me..." She meekly said. I guess me and Reimu did put her in an awkward spot as the third wheel of our current squabble.

"What?!" Reimu and I snapped back, still a bit tense from arguing. As I turn my attention away from the shrine maiden, I immediately saw what concerns the rabbit.

Apparently Reimu has stopped moving while we were arguing and Reisen obediently stayed put herself so I can keep talking to the shrine maiden. We only stopped for a short moment, but Suika with her massive steps easily catch up to us. I must be too annoyed at Reimu and vice versa to not notice Suika even with her clamouring steps.

Right now the giant Oni got her hand stretched out surrounding us from both side, trapping us in between. If we stay here we're going to be squished, but if we move, she'll just squash us like a bug! Neither squash nor squish makes for a good option... but what should we do?

Reimu and Reisen both stayed still, both probably share my worry that any sudden movement might provoke the oni to squash us.

"My, this is quite the situation. Shall I lend a hand?" A black swirling gap opened up beside us.

Neither Reimu nor Reisen move at first, can't blame them since even I found it hard to trust any goodwill from this gap Youkai. But at the enclosing giant hand that is just seconds away from squashing us, there were no other choice but to trust her.

The two flying girls plus me flew through the gap seconds before Suika's hand enclosed on us.

* * *

><p>Yukari is waiting for is with her usual haughty smile on the other side of the gap. Present around her is the ghostly pair of Yuyuko and Youmu. They all seem to be safely staying away from Suika's drunken path by staying out of sight behind one of the larger Sakura tree. Using the tree branches as seats, this group seem to have moved their activity up here; there's even a large picnic set held up by a number of ghostly wisp that Yuyuko is munching on.<p>

Peeking around the cherry petals, I can see Suika on the far side of the ground, looking confusedly at her empty hands.

"Well-well" Yukari starts talking. "Getting lost in an argument to the point of completely forgetting about your situation, what does that means Yuyuko?" The gap Youkai turns to look at the ghost princess beside her.

"I don't know, but I think they're good friends right? Opposite attracts or something like that" Yuyuko happily flew around us, looking chirpy as always. I guess being dead means she has nothing to worry from the rampaging Oni.

Yukari grinned. "Is that so? Anyway, I suppose I should apologize to you in behalf of these two fools" She's clearly not talking to me or Reimu, rather to Reisen who's still holding me up. "Even lunarians do not deserve to be caught up in something as unsightly as that"

"Right..." Reisen stare directly at Yukari. She looked miffed by what the blonde youkai just said. "So now I'm guessing you want me to hand him over to you?"

"Indeed. Your service is no longer required. Please put him down over there"

The rabbit girl didn't move at first, but she finally relented when Yukari's gaze darkened dangerously. I can feel her body shivering as she moves me on top of the Sakura tree indicated by Yukari.

Careful not to fall down, I gingerly stepped onto one of the thicker branches. Reisen waited till I got a solid footing on the tree before she let go of me.

Yukari smiled. "Good. Now run along now little rabbit. Your master is already home waiting for you. When you meet her, I want you to explain everything that happened to her. Leave no single detail out"

"... Fine" Reisen looks unhappy to be dismissed like that, but she complied nonetheless. Seeing her in such a bad mood from helping me, I kinda feel bad for her.

"Hey Reisen" She stopped when I called out to her. She didn't look back, but since she always avoid eye contact with me, I guess its fine. "Thanks for the help. I'll see you around?"

Her ears twitched. "Until next time Shirou-san" She said before she flew away.

I saw her go before I turn my attention back to the current problem; I'm stuck on a tree with no way down. Of course going down isn't exactly part of the plan now considering that Suika is now actively looking for me. Hiding here is actually a pretty good plan, though not exactly the best. Well, not the best plan for Reimu, since Suika is currently playing lumberjack as she searches for me. Left alone all the cherry trees will probably be uprooted before the day ends.

"So... now what?" I ask while taking a quick peek between the cherry leaves. Suika is nowhere near at the moment, so I should be safe for now. "Is there anything we can do to stop her?"

"... I have half a mind to throw you at her so she'll stop tearing the yard" Reimu grumbled as she watches the Oni uprooted another cherry tree and toss it away.

"And I really would appreciate it if you don't" Just to be safe I inched away from the shrine maiden in case she'll really come through with that. "Got any other idea?" I soon regretted asking that as Reimu grinned evilly.

"Actually I do"

* * *

><p>"Haah..." I sighed. I'm once again being carried around like an extra luggage, this time Youmu is the one doing the lifting for some reason. When asked why, Reimu said the half-ghost suits the job much more than her. "Is this really going to work?" I can't help but to voice my doubt at Reimu's idea.<p>

"It might work... maybe?" Youmu answered me.

The plan is for Youmu to use me as a bait to lure Suika away from any destructible objects. While doing so, she should also move a lot so the giant Oni is forced to turn around a lot. By doing so hopefully Suika will become dizzy enough so that she'll pass out. It's very simple, but dangerous in execution. Reimu said she'll be around just in case things go wrong, but that still doesn't instil much confidence.

"Reimu, maybe we should think this over a bit more" I attempted to persuade the shrine maiden to not make us do this, but then Suika choose that moment to toss a cherry tree in our direction while loudly whining my name. The tree landed nowhere close to us, but that pretty much shot down any chance for Reimu to reconsider. In fact, it even makes it worse.

The shrine maiden turns to the gap youkai. "Yukari, if you would do the honour"

Even Yukari seems surprised at the sudden request, but that look soon replaced with a smirk. "I never thought you'd ask"

Then before me and Youmu can react, we were pushed into a dark gap that inconveniently appears in front of us. One second we were safely hidden away from Suika, and now we're directly right in front of her face.

There's a full second of pause as all party involved are too surprised to do anything, but the surprise soon fades. Suika smiled drunkenly now that her target is in reach, and as she tries to reach out to us, Youmu shot forward, shooting straight past Suika's ear.

My face is buffeted by the wind because of Youmu's super high acceleration. She moves so fast I actually felt the air rushing away from us. My previous headache from the hangover quickly returns with a vengeance at the stress my body was put under. And then it got even worse as the half-ghost starts pulling off sharp aerial turns to evade the drunken giant Oni. I can't even open my mouth to say anything from fear of either biting my tongue or vomiting. So I just close my eyes and silently endure.

What follows after is the wildest roller coaster ride I've have, and will ever be on. Twists and turns, loops and rolls, name it and it happened. Even without seeing anything I'm pretty damn sure Youmu is pulling off some crazy manoeuvre as she flies around Suika.

But sooner or later, all rides must come to an end, and so does this one. But unfortunately, it didn't end as planned.

"Aah!" There's a jarring impact followed by a scream of pain from the half-ghost. I opened my eyes when I felt the arms that were holding me suddenly slackened without warning. First thing I notice is the blue sky, and the second thing I notice is that we're damn high up and we're still going up!

"Youmu, are you okay?" I worriedly call out to the half-ghost girl. When I get no reply I turn my head around only to find her unconscious and her ghost half frantically flying around us. Before I can ponder what happened, our ascent comes to a halt and gravity starts pulling is down again.

As we start falling down, I finally saw what I've been missing when I was closing my eyes. A storm of bullets were shooting out of the giant Oni. The bullets flew frantically and haphazardly with completely no aim. The areas below us were practically saturated with danmaku bullets, and we're falling right into it.

"Y-Youmu, wake up!" I turn around and grab her shoulder to shake her awake, but I got no response from the out cold girl. "Dammit" I cursed at my current situation. But then my eyes fall onto the drawn sword in her hand. Instantly making up my mind, I reach out to the sword with my left hand while my right hand went into my pocket. "Let me borrow this" I said to the half-ghost part for permission since the human part is unconscious. Not waiting for reply, I quickly pry the sword out of her hand. "Okay... here we go... **Shattered boundary: The ever changing illusion of reality**" I call out the name of the spell card in my hand.

The card let out a small flash as it activates. I instantly feel a cool and calm feeling throughout my body as I'm being empowered by the card. Then I suddenly felt a strong urge to cough, and from there a body of wisp flew out of my mouth. I can sense that it feeling happy to be out of my while at the same time panicking at what awaits us below. "Shut up and take care of Youmu" My 'ghost-half' feel miffed at being ordered around, but it complied nonetheless as it flew protectively around Youmu and her own ghost-half.

Now that the little annoyance is taken care of, I slip my spell card onto my mouth and then use the now free hand to draw my own sword from my back. Now holding swords in both hands, I recall everything I know about danmaku and force all the energy I can muster onto the swords I'm holding.

Each blade emits a blue white glow as my energy run through them. Preparations done and seconds away before we enter the free-firing danmaku range below, I look down and raise both blade over my head. _Sorry about this Suika_. Apologizing to the oni in my mind, I swung down both blades.

What follows is a massive gust of wind followed closely by a criss-crossing energy that the blades unleashed. This level of firepower I just let out surprises even me. When I first discovered this trick I only manage a small shock wave blast at best. Then again, that was from playing around with the leftover energy from Mei-Ling after a spar. Note to self; be more careful about using abilities I don't even understand.

The bullets below were blown away by the energy I unleashed, and without anything blocking it, it hit Suika dead on. There's a loud crashing noise as the Oni topple down after taking the full brunt of the attack, her danmaku bullets soon died down as well.

That's one problem down, now I just have to figure out how to stop myself from going splat on the ground.

Surprisingly, my ghost half holds the answer to that problem. Flying below me, it puffed in size and flew upward as if it's pushing me up. Surprisingly it worked, to an extent as I can feel myself slowing down. To the side Youmu's ghost-half is also doing the same thing to its unconscious human part. The only difference is that her ghost-half sufficient enough to float its human part as if she's flying while mine is quickly running out of energy as I feel my falling speed increasing again.

My ghost half tried hard, but it just can't keep up. Even with all its effort, we both ended up crashing pretty hard onto the ground. A few tumble and roll later, I push myself to my knees as I take off the spell card that was on my mouth, both my hands are now free since I dropped the swords upon initial impact. "Well, points for effort I guess" I joked to my ghost half who's still lying flat on the ground. I can feel it shrugging as it agrees with me. But even as it agrees with me, I can feel waves of disappointment coming from it. Before I can ask what's wrong, it flew right into my face. Its final thought before it went back into me is that it's annoyed at me for spending everything into that one shot and forcing it to go back early.

Coughing and sputtering from the forced entry, all I can think is what a spoiled brat I can be at times.

* * *

><p>Youmu eyes slowly flutter open. She remembers taking a hit from the oni and she blacks out from the pain. How did that happen again? Oh yeah, she was caught off guard when the Oni unleashed her spell card. Evading the bullets becomes too much of a priority to her that she completely missed the swinging ground from below.<p>

Her eyes slowly focusing, she saw the bodiless form of her ghost-half as it carries her on her back. "M-Myron...?"

She can sense her ghost half feeling relieved that she has regained consciousness before it start scolding her for being careless.

"I'm sorry..." She apologizes as she too feels ashamed for underestimating the Oni tactical mind even under a full drunken stupor. Still not completely awake yet, she let herself rest a bit more on top of her ghost half. "What happened? Where's Shirou-san?"

Her ghost half told her to look down to see for herself. Doing just that, she spotted the boy crouching on the ground. He looks just slightly less bad than her, so what happened while she was out? As she looks down, she also spotted a pair of blades on the boy's side, one of the blade she recognise as Roukanken; the sword that kills ten ghosts in one swipe, a sword that belonged to her.

Her ghost half, sensing confusion, explained that the boy borrowed her sword while she was out. He even asked for permission from her, which her ghost half allowed. Then the explanation shifted to what the boy did afterwards, using his spell card on her before expediting all his energy to perform one blast attack to secure a safe zone for them both to land.

"He did that?" Youmu muttered. Her feeling is a bit complicated right now. While she is indeed grateful for his effort to help, there's this unfamiliar feeling rising from within her at the thought that someone uses her sword. Granted he uses it for a good reason, but still... what is this feeling?

As she ponders on this, her eyes catch a large shadow moving behind the unaware boy.

"Shirou-san Look out!"

Her voice is drowned by the ensuing loud quake.

* * *

><p>"Shirou!" Reimu yelled out as she saw the giant foot that just stepped on the unsuspecting boy.<p>

"Ouch, that looks really painful" Yukari commented as she keep the strong hold on her so she cannot run off. This strong grip is what prevented the shrine maiden from going to help the two even when things start looking bad for them.

"Let go of me Yukari!" She tries shaking the blonde youkai off, but it was to no avail and she was painfully reminded that the one that is holding her is one of the strongest entities in Gensokyo.

Ignoring the trashing shrine maiden in her hand, Yukari turn to her friend. "So Yuyuko, did he die?"

The ghost princess flapped a fan over to hide the bottom part of her face from view. "I don't think so; there are no new born souls just now. But why do you ask? You already know he's fine don't you?"

The gap youkai shrugged. "Just wanted to make sure"

* * *

><p>"Got you Shirou... hic!" Having managed to 'catch' her prey, Suika stopped moving while looking around in a daze. Seeing the giant Oni temporarily stopped her drunken rampage, one of the remaining guests carefully steps out of her hiding place.<p>

Utilizing her ability to manipulate distance, Komachi shortened the distance between her and the giant oni's foot before she quickly walked over, silently of course so the Oni won't notice her.

Peeking down at the small gap between the Oni's foot and the crater below it, she squinted to what's underneath. "Oi, are you still alive down there?" She whispered to the darkness below. If the human is indeed dead, then might as well reap him now since she's already in the area right? It'll safe time that way.

Then to her surprise, the foot in front of her goes up ever the slightest... no it was being pushed up.

"D-don't kill me off... just like that..." She heard the boy's voice coming out from underneath. He sounded in pain, but alive... she thinks.

She grinned; this got the potential to be very interesting. "I need proof if you are really alive. So come out from down there"

The reply she got is a tired whining and grunting, but nevertheless the earth starts to shake slightly as something starts pushing up from under there.

Happy that her effort to 'encourage' him is not wasted, the shinigami smirked before she walked away. The following event would be so interesting it would be a waste if not seen from a proper viewing place.

* * *

><p>Thanks to the warning from Youmu, I was aware about the dropping foot a second before it is too late. Not having much time to think, the first thing that came to mind is using the spell card that is already in my hand. With a flash of light the spell card activates just before the foot come crashing down on me, but without time to react, I was unable respond properly when an extreme force came bearing down on to me.<p>

... This must be what happens to an ant that gets stepped on by a boot; Squished.

Luckily the spell card activates so I am not powerless even in this tight situation.

So though my body hurt all over and ignoring the taste blood on my mouth, I struggled to push myself up from this crater I'm in all the while Suika's foot stepping down on my back. With great effort, I manage to lift her foot just the slightest so I can shift myself around under here.

That's when I heard the voice calling out from the tiny gap I manage to push open as I separate Suika's foot from the ground.

"_I need proof if you are really alive. So come out from down there" _I would've palmed my face at the ridiculous comment if my hands weren't too busy trying to keep Suika off my back. Prove that I'm alive? I'm in serious pain here; I think that's good enough proof that I am not dead.

But fine. If she wants proof, then she'll get one!

Grunting in exertion, I shifted my feet slightly and pressed my whole upper body flat at the Oni's feet. Pausing slightly before the plunge, I take a deep breath.

One second...

Two second...

... And three!

"Get... off... ME!" Ignoring my screaming body, I push against the foot with everything I got.

"Wheee..." Suika did not offer resistance as I push her foot off me, and thus... With something that deserves a slow-mo moment, Suika's giant body toppled backward and crashed to the ground.

"Hah...Hah...Hah..." I slumped forward. My entire body felt like jelly. I lost all feeling on my right leg and both my arms felt like lead. The remaining body part felt like they're on fire.

I don't think I can move anymore. If Suika going for me again...

"Mhm... zzz...zzz..." And she's asleep. Guess all that alcohol in her system finally knocks her out. She also shrunk back to her original size, so I'm in the clear, though my body felt like crap at the moment...

Anyway, as long I don't move too much, the pain is more bearable... so I just got to keep it nice and slow... first, to get back up. Easy does it... left leg first, now push with right—ouch, okay, go with left arm instead... now...

"Whoo! Shirou! Good job!" Appearing out of her hiding place now that the danger has passed, Marisa landed right beside me and excitedly gave me pat in the back for a job well done.

"YEOWCH!" It might be just a friendly tap on my back but to me, it's like being slashed by a whip. I fall forward; my arms instantly lost all their strength as my body went past its pain threshold.

Marisa blinked in surprise, her hand frozen where she make contact with my back. "Oh, did that hurt?"

I can feel tears forming in my eyes as overwhelming pain embrace me. "Haaaaa... Yes... it hurts... a lot..." I gritted out.

The magician crouched down beside me and poke in the rib. "Can you stand up?"

"... No"

"Lame... You got to work on your flair a bit more"

"What... ever..."

"Hehe, should I go fetch Eirin for you?" She offered.

"There's no need, I'm already here"

Marisa jumped up to her feet, surprised at Eirin's sudden reappearance. "Well that's convenient; I thought you already went home"

"I did, but then Udonge told me about what's happening here so I came back since I figured someone would need my service one way or another" The good doctor then turns me over my back. "Though to be honest, I'm already half suspecting that you'll be the one that needs my help... again"

"Sorry?" I weakly muttered.

"So how is he?" Marisa asked while crouching down next to me.

Eirin look at her before shaking her head exasperatedly. "It doesn't take a medical experience to see that he's hurt, even before you delivered the finishing blow"

"I delivered the finishing blow?"

"Yes you did"

"You... did..." I added in.

The black-white magician embarrassedly scratches her head. "Well... that was anticlimactic... defeating an Oni only to fall before this ordinary magician... Hehe..." Despite what she said, she sounded proud of what she just did.

"Yes yes, I'm sure he's proud of himself. Anyway, how are you feeling Shirou?" Eirin asked me.

"Hurting all over..."

"Not surprised. A human body cannot withstand that amount of exertion; then again, not everyone can say that they managed to topple a giant Oni"

"Swell... by the way, how many people saw that?"

"Hm... almost everyone already left, but there are still a number of people that saw your stunt. It didn't matter though, because Aya also saw it" Marisa pointed to a faraway tree. Perched on top of it is a black winged tengu. The tengu's camera let out a small flash before the owner lift off and darted away before anyone can stop her.

"Oh great..." I foresee great annoyance sometimes in the unforeseen future. Oh well, not like I'm trying to keep this a secret forever. Oh well, whatever happen happens. There's suddenly a prickling feeling on my right arm. "Ouch" I yelped in pain.

Eirin frowned as she lightly presses her hand onto my body. "You did quite a number on your body. Mostly on the upper limbs, though the legs also have some tearing, and there are quite a number of muscle tear on the chest area also... Does it hurt when I press down over here?"

"Hrk!"

"I take that as a yes"

Eirin, when I mention I'm hurting all over I mean it! Dammit, I never pegged the paralysis status as a health depleting one... Yeowch! She did that one on purpose!

Is this how she treats all her patients or am I being punished for something I don't remember doing?

"Shirou?"I stop grumbling about unsafe medical practice and whatnot when I see Youmu approaching me. She got her long sword back in her hand as she sheathed it in my view, she must've picked it up from where I dropped it.

"Hm? Oh hey You—eouch!"

"And I think that's a few fractures in your knee also..."

"You think!" Eirin just smiled at my accusing tone. "Haaa... sorry about that, what's up Youmu?" I force a smile on my face to hide the incredible agony I'm currently experiencing.

"I was... checking up on you... but I guess you are indeed injured" The ghost girl said as she slowly approaches me.

"What? This? It's just flesh wound, its fin-Yeowch!""

Eirin sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, you're a picture of perfect health"

"Fine-fine I get it! I'll be quiet" I groaned in defeat. There's just no way I can win this argument with this particular physician.

"Will he be fine?" Youmu asked Eirin.

Eirin just nodded. "Nothing I can't handle, just give me some time and he'll be as good as new. And what about you? You were also hurt weren't you? Want me to take a look at it?" She said as she gave the half-ghost girl a look over.

The half ghost shifted her feet nervously. "T-this much is fine. A good night sleep and I'll be fine by tomorrow"

Judging by how she's acting and the way she favoured her left arm, she's clearly not okay. Even I can tell that much. Feeling guilty that she was hurt because of a problem 'indirectly' caused by me, I lightly tap Eirin's knee to get her attention. When the good doctor turns to look at me, I nudge my head at the half-ghost girl, silently telling her to take care of her.

Eirin then frowned as if she's asking if I'm sure, but I just forcefully nudged her at Youmu. Seeing I won't back down with the issue, Eirin sighed as she stands up from beside me.

"Come here, I'll fix you up real quick" She told the half-ghost. Before the girl can even say no, the doctor already grab on to her right arm. Youmu let out a pained yelp at the grip. Left with no choice, she ended up sitting still and let the doctor examine her. The examination only last less than a minute with minimal noise from the ghost girl. After that, Eirin just told her to hold her arm up before takes out a small container of ointment and rubbed some blue green salve on the arm. "Okay, NOW you'll be fine after a good night sleep. Just remember to ease up the pressure on that arm" Eirin told Youmu as she closes the lid of the ointment container.

"Okay, thank yo—hwaa!" Youmu yelped when a cold ghostly hand suddenly grab on to her from behind.

"Thank you very much for taking care of my Youmu" Yuyuko is happily smiling as always, but I notice this time around her eyes are not full of mischief as usual. "Will we owe you or your princess anything for this act of kindness?" There's a strange gleam in her eyes as she asked this.

Eirin is unflinching under the cold gaze. "Tempting as it may be, I think I'll put this one under his tab" She uses her thumb to point at me, who by the way, am under so much pain I can't even move.

"Oh give me a break" I groaned, but it fall to deaf ears as no one listen to me.

"How generous! Thank you very much!" Yuyuko quickly bounce to her usual merry self as she gleefully said her thanks. "Hey Youmu, I'm hungry. Let's get dinner" For some reason she's rubbing her cheek against Youmu's.

"Y-Yuyuko-sama" Youmu struggled."I already prepare dinner in advance back home, there's no rush"

"Of course we need to rush! How am I supposed to stay perky with a hungry stomach? You don't want me to become one of those dead souls do you?" No one around bother to correct her that she already is a dead soul. But even if we wanted to, she already dragged the struggling Youmu away with her, so oh well.

"Anyway, back to you" Eirin said as she crouched down beside me again. "I'm guessing no miracle happened yet and he's still under extreme pain?" She for some reason asked Marisa who's been standing by next to me while she was away tending to Youmu.

"No Ma'am. No miracle here" She then jabbed a finger at me. It takes a lot of willpower to stop myself from screaming outright there. "See?" Marisa pointed at my agonising expression.

"I can see indeed" Eirin looks amused before she lightly place a hand over my heart. "Too erratic... I'd say you suffer from multiple inner wounds as well" her face contorted in a frown, so this can't be good. "I'd say three weeks, minimum, under bed treatment before you can recover"

"T-three weeks!?" I instantly felt my chest hurting from talking too loud. Dammit, just how badly hurt am I?

Eirin shakes her head. "You should be grateful, normal recovery would take a few months at the very least, I got an ointment back at Eintei that can help with your recovery. There's not much else we can..." She suddenly stops talking as a look of realization dawned on her."Actually... there is a course of action that I could suggest... one that is unique to you"

"What is it?" I asked the doctor. Anything to get me back up and running again.

"You could borrow a certain someone's high speed regeneration...that'll heal you up real quick"

I'm not really getting the idea, but Marisa most certainly did. "Oh! That's a good idea! But your princess already went home didn't she? That only left..." She trailed off unsurely before she grinned. "I'll go grab her. Just wait here" Before any of us can say anything; she flew off with her broom.

I questioningly look at Eirin looking for an answer, but all I get is a confusing cryptic reply. "Well Shirou? Do you think you could pluck a feather from the phoenix?"

* * *

><p>"No"<p>

Uwah. I already expected an uphill battle went I saw who Marisa came back with, but even with my meticulous mental preparation, the hostility behind that two letter sentence is still over bearing

"Please?" I tried asking once again.

The fire girl's unflinching red eyes sternly look at me before she once again flat out refuse. "No. Why don't you go bother that bitch instead"

Eirin steps up. "As I mentioned before, Kaguya-sama already went back to Eintei, so you're the only one around that could help him. So, would you kindly let him borrow your power so he can heal himself?"

"I said no. What are you two doing here anyway?" She turns her attention to the two beside me.

"Cause it looks fun?"

"I'm here to supervise my patient"

The air around us heats up as the girl growled in annoyance. "Go find your amusement somewhere else" She's not budging at all. This girl is still as headstrong as she was back when I met her in the bamboo forest days ago. I'm not going to crack her with normal means; I'll need a different method of asking.

I turn my pleading eyes to the girl beside the fire girl.

I was surprised when I saw Keine coming along with this temperamental girl, but then I remembered her mentioning that she is friends with her. And the way the fire girl once pleads for me not to tell the school teacher that she nearly scorched me to death... Keine being here might be the edge that I needed to convince this stubborn girl.

Her eyes met mine and with an amused smile she jump into action. "It's okay right? He did ask for permission after all"

"... I don't know" Oooh! As expected of the secret weapon; Keine's gentle word easily cracks the girl's stubbornness one thousand times more effective than my plea bargain. In one try, she actually gets the fire girl to actually consider letting me borrow her power.

"It'll be fine. He said it's only temporary, and I don't think he'll misuse your powers, right, Shirou-san?"

I inwardly cower at the dangerous glint on the school teacher's eyes. "R-right..."

"Hmph... I-If Keine said that it's okay... I guess..."

"Then-?"

The girl raised a hand to stop me from talking. "But not for free. I heard what you been doing around the village. I let you do this, you're going to owe me, and Keine too since she's the reason I let you do this"

"... I expected that from Marisa or Reimu, but you too?"

"S-shut up! That's my final offer, take it or leave it" The girl actually looks flustered, but she's still adamant about making me owe them.

...

Either this or a full month bed ridden. The choice is easy. "Fine... so can I?" I flipped my spell card and show it to her to see if she had a last second change of heart.

"... Just do it before I change my mind"

"O-okay... **Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion**" The spell card flashes for a split second, and soon enough, I can feel every aching feeling in my body being washed away. I raise my right arm, and as expected, it's no longer stiff as a rusted steel plank. Then there's the heat surge that spread through my body. It only last for less than a second, but it left behind a warm feeling that embraces me like a blanket.

"Well Shirou? How do you feel?" Marisa eagerly asked me.

I slowly stand up, slowly as to not push my recently healed body. "I think I'm fine now. A bit too much energy, but that's not a bad thing"

"Cool, now light something on fire"

I raised an eyebrow at the random suggestion. "Why do I want to do that?"

"Cause I want to see" The magician answered as if it's a very obvious thing.

"Uh... no" Looking away from the sulking magician I lightly bowed my head to the fire girl. "Thanks for letting me do this" I thanked her.

"Whatever, just don't forget you owe us" The fire girl said before she turns around. "I'm going home, let's go Keine" She walks away without another word, hands in her pocket.

"Until next time everyone."The school teacher is more polite as she actually said her farewell before he runs off to chase her friend.

"Well then, now that's over, I'll be heading home as well' Eirin too excused herself."By the way, you also owe me; one for the ointment I used on the half-ghost and two for the consultation"

"Urk... How much do I owe you?"

"Quite a lot since the ointment is not cheap, but I'm sure we can discuss a suitable way for you cover the whole expense. Just stop by Eintei and we'll talk about this more.

I groaned at the thought of owing money to this person. "You're going to work me to the bone for this will you? Fine, I'll come by sometime within the week"

Eirin just smiled. "Have a good night you two" She said before she flew away.

This leaves just Marisa and me. "What a day..." I muttered as I pick up my sheathed sword and tied it around my back as usual.

"Really? It's a pretty normal day to me, even with Suika rampaging like that" The magician said as she walks beside me.

I chuckled at the easy going magician. "Ha-ha, is every day like this for you?"

"Not always, but the most important thing is that you enjoyed your day when you come home. Don't you agree?"

"I guess that make sense. So where did you disappear off to earlier?"

"That? I was running away from Alice. She don't like me borrowing her stuff see, so when I take her books she's not very happy with me"

"I don't think people would be happy if someone borrows their stuff for years to come"

"But they'd live much longer than me right? So a few years should be fine since it's just a short fraction of their lifespan"

"I... don't know how to respond to that" I honestly said my opinion to the magician. In some manner of twisted and broken way, there's some semblance of logic in her thinking. It's not something I'd agree on, but I can't absolutely refute it either.

Looking at this carefree magician, a thought is born inside of me. _As long she never borrows things from me, I won't have any problem with her way of thinking... much_. I decided as I keep walking.

"So, where are you going?" Marisa asked me.

"I'm thinking about checking up on Suika. She went down somewhere around here right?" I said as I look around at the 30 metre area of devastation. Suika going down have knock down quite a number of trees in the area along with leaving an Oni sized imprint on the ground.

"Should be... let's look around"

"Don't bother, I got her here with me" Looking up, I saw Reimu coming down with the little Oni hoisted under her arm. The previously rampaging oni is looking completely harmless as she dozes off peacefully.

Landing softly on the ground, the shrine maiden squirmed under my gaze before she sighed. "I'm sorry for not coming to help earlier, but Yukari got me tied up for some reason" She explained how the gap youkai hold her down and didn't let her go until after I push Suika down. After that she was going to go down to check up on me, but when she saw Aya running off, she decided to pursue the tengu instead since she figured I'm in good hand with Eirin. "So after I make her promise not to publish that picture anytime soon, I came back straight away"

"And you picked up an Oni on the way?" Marisa questioned.

"I figure I'll hold her down until she wakes up so I can tell her to fix all this. But enough about that, I'm more surprised that you're already back in your feet. I don't think any of Eintei's medicine could've worked this fast"

"I'm... not exactly taking any medicine" At Reimu's questioning look, I raised my right arm and let the heat that I've been holding back to come out. It's actually pretty easy, just by willing it my entire forearm is engulfed by scorching flames, the reddish ember mixing perfectly with the dying light of the sunset.

The shrine maiden just sighed at seeing the display. "Well that explains a lot"

Marisa curiously holds out her hands out to the flame on my arm. "This is neat! How are you not burned?" She asked me.

"... Who says I'm not being burned?" I winced as I struggle to put down the flame on my arm. While not as hot as I expected, it's still plenty hot as I my entire right arm felt like it's under a severe case of sun burned.

* * *

><p>Yukari watches amusedly as panic sets when the boy's flame burns even brighter. She can hear the shrine maiden angrily scolding the boy while the magician runs off while yelling she's getting water to put out the flame.<p>

"Yukari-sama, I've arrived"

She turns her gaze from the commotion when her faithful familiar appeared beside her. "That took longer than expected" She said to her.

Her familiar's many tails swished behind her. "My apologies, Chen asked me to help with the house hold chores"

"Do not worry about such trivial issues, now that you're here, can you pour some of it here?"

"Of course Yukari-sama" Her servant is quick to produce a large glass bottle. Without any effort, she popped the lid off and tilted it slightly to pour its content to the glass cup in her hand.

She waited until her cup is nearly full before she nodded to her servant who stop pouring and backed away. Casually turning the cup in her hand, she lifted it onto her lips and lightly sips the liquor. "Ah... it's good" She mused before taking another sip while shifting her gaze back to her 'entertainment'.

The fire is going even bigger as the boy starts to lose his temper under the shrine maiden's incessant scolding. More yelling ensues before the magician came back with a full bucket of water in which she proceeds to throw at the flame. The water flew in a graceful arc, splashing onto the fire on the boy's arm and putting it out before splashing right onto the boy himself and the shrine maiden next to him.

There's an uncomfortable silence before the now drenched duo turns and start chasing the magician.

Watching all this, the many tailed servant decided to share her thought to her mistress. "He's adapting to life here quite well doesn't he?" She commented, her nine tails swishing happily behind her.

Yukari nodded in agreement to her familiar's assessment. "Yes, I'm glad to see him living for himself for once"

"I suppose... "The familiar amuses herself as she watches the boy from afar. He seems much livelier compared to before, when he was burdened by the dilemma life unfairly throws at him. "... Are you going to tell him? About..." She stops talking when she saw her mistress shakes her head.

"There's really no need to burden him with knowledge of the time before him"

"But is that not why you brought him here in the first place?" She asked her once again.

Her question is met only by silence.

* * *

><p>In the dark living room of the Hakurei Shrine, if one pays attention, one can see a spark of purple coming out from a dresser in the back of the room.<p>

Sensing that its owner is near, the sealed item struggles against the many paper seals that bind it powerless. But try as it may, it is powerless against the absolute power of the Hakurei. But still it tries. This will keep on happening for many days, far from anyone's notice.

Weeks later Reimu would find one of the seals that are binding it to be half burnt. The shrine maiden would then just sigh before reapplying the binding on the object of power.

It would still be many more months before this spell card finds its way back to its owner.

* * *

><p><strong>Day 37-End<strong>

**PLEASE REVIEW! This is a milestone chapter, so the number of review will left a definite impact on my future chapter. So please review! Please-Please-Please!**

**Anyway, what do you all think about the chapter? Do I get the character correct? Any of them seems out of character for you?**

**And I also apologize if some of the character you wanted does not yet appear in this story. Yuuka WAS going to make an appearance in this chapter, but I decided to postpone it for now.**

**Next chapter would be him going to SDM with Reimu. What new meeting awaits him? (Hint-Hint: just how many SDM character are left?)**


	13. Day 40: The Devils Likes to Live Large

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Well, 10 review for the previous chapter... it's double digit,so I guess it's fine... though I wish I got more...**

**Anyway, I'm surprised that so many people mention that they like the OC I came up with. Because of that, I think I'll flesh out his back story a bit more. I'll do so by using this chapter and the next. **

**Someone also mention that they get mixed up with the POV, so I'll define them per scene now. Hope it'll make it easier to read. **

**The time under the POV description wasn't part of the plan, but writing a chapter with Sakuya in it requires me to be very specific about time. If it's confusing to understand the timeline just tell me and I'll fix it.**

**Anyway, without further ado, enjoy. Oh, one last thing, a certain part of the chapter makes me consider bumping this story to M rating, but I think it should be fine as it is... I did omitted the whole 'thing' after all. **

**Day 40: The Devils Likes to Live Large**

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou's POV<strong>

**18:09 PM**

"Hiyaah!" With a loud cry, Meiling spins around and lashes out with a devastating high kick.

Having expected such a move, I quickly move to evade the attack, only for another kick to land square on my jaw as the gatekeeper flipped herself backward as she performs a full reverse-somersault attack.

"Ugh..." Stumbling backward, I groan as I try to shake the dizziness out of my head. But even as I do so, Meiling is already on the move again to capitalise on my moment of disorientation. Sensing her movement, I waited for the last second before I step aside and grab hold of the punch that Meiling threw at me. Going from there, I spin around and slam her down over my shoulder.

Well, at least that's what I was planning. But then the gatekeeper uses her hand to spring backward away from me. As she does so, a rainbow of colours fills my still dazed vision. Before I can react the spinning colours are already upon me.

"Gah!" I fall backward as the colourful force hit me like a hammer blow.

"And that's another win for me" Meiling said as I lie dazedly on the ground. "Have you had enough yet or should we continue on with our bout?"

Looking at the reddening sky, I take a deep breath before getting back up to my feet. "We're nowhere near done. Bring it!" Not giving any time for the gatekeeper to say anything else, I shot out a bullet with my fist before charging at her once again.

* * *

><p><strong>Reimu POV<strong>

**19:12 PM**

The Hakurei shrine maiden appears at the mansion's gate as the sky is darkening. Though she just arrived, she's already compelled to shakes her head with a tired sigh. "So what's the story here?" She asked the gatekeeper.

"Well... Shirou here arrived earlier sometime past noon. It was still pretty early before the appointed time, but nevertheless I offered to let him into the mansion since Milady said that he's an invited guest. But then..." She trailed off a she glances at the boy who looks dead tired as he lay heaving on the ground. "He refuses to go in. As he keeps stubbornly saying no, we ended up having a match to settle whether he's going in or staying out" Meiling laughed as she run her fingers through her hair.

"What an idiot..." The shrine maiden sighed. She then stepped over to the downed boy. "What's your excuse this time?"

The boy weakly looked up. "... You're late"

"... You got 10 seconds to get up before I'll do something that will put you down for the rest of the day"

"Uu..." The boy groaned as he slowly pushes himself up.

Reimu gave him a not so gentle nudge with her feet before she turn back to the gate keeper. "So where's that head maid of yours? Shouldn't she have shown herself since a guest was being beaten to the ground?"

"Please don't say it like that!" Meiling panicked as she looks around. "Last I heard she got her hands full cleaning up the mess from our little mistress' tantrum last night"

Reimu frowned. "What happened?"

Carefully sneaking a look left and right, the gatekeeper leaned in closer to the shrine maiden. "The little mistress was not happy when milady told her to stay in her room for today" She whispered.

Reimu frowned as she sneaks a look at the still recovering boy. "Will there be any problem?"

"Um... I'm not sure... but—Hwa!" Meiling yelped in surprise when a knife whizzed by her face. Turning to where it flew from, the two saw the head maid herself standing arms crossed beside the gate.

"I didn't remember gossiping to be part of your duty. Or are you actually a tengu in disguise?" The maid scolded the gatekeeper.

"S-Sakuya-san... please don't joke around like that... ahaha..." The gatekeeper nervously laughed. She quickly shut her mouth when a pair of knives flew past her, cutting a few strands of hair on both sides of her head.

"I rarely joke around" The maid said to the gatekeeper before she turns to the guests. "Welcome Reimu, Shirou-san. Milady has been expecting the two of you"

Reimu gave her a wry smile. "It's hard to decline since she went through the trouble of using her bats as a friendly reminder. So about your little mistress, should I be expecting any trouble from her?"

The maid calmly shakes her head. "The young mistress has agreed to a compromise; as long she stays out of sight and make no attempt to approach today's guests, then she'll be allowed to wander around the mansion"

"I see..." The shrine maiden murmured. So if the maid is right, then the devils' little sister will NOT be inside her room during the duration of this visit. This brought no small amount of concern to her, but under the circumstances, Remilia did what she could to keep her away. This just means that she'll have to take extra care to keep him under surveillance during their time in the mansion.

Sighing at the extra work to be done, the shrine maiden turns to the tired looking boy. "Up and at them Shirou. The sooner we get this done the better"

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**19:15 PM —Right after above scene**

"Yeah-yeah. You're such a task master you know that" I groan at the pushy shrine maiden.

My body is a bit sore right now; my fault really for taking on Meiling for much longer than I can handle; but anything to not going into the vampire's mansion by myself. Really now, surely everyone knows that entering a vampire's lair is a sure fire way to look for disaster.

At least now I'm not going in there alone as Reimu is coming with me, but still, I got a really bad feeling coming from this place.

"Please come in" I stop my pondering when the maid opened the gate and walked through it, expecting us to follow her. Reimu didn't have any problem as she follows her through the gate, so that just leave me and Meiling outside of the gate now. I quickly move to follow them, but as I neared the gate, I slowly lose the feeling in my legs until I ended up stopping just before the gate.

From where I'm standing, the mansion is looming tall just ahead. The dark sky overhead seem to have make the oppressive feeling from before multiplied by the dozens, even with the lights lit from inside the building.

My heart quickening, I can't bring myself to step through the gate.

"It's okay Shirou. You'll be fine" Meiling walked up beside me. There's a reassuring smile on her face as she puts a hand on my shoulder.

Seeing the gatekeeper trying to comfort me, I slowly feel like smiling as well. This person is one of the few good acquaintances I have in Gensokyo after all, one of the few that I put my trust in. So if she say it'll be fine then it'll be fine I'm sure.

Meiling then speaks again. "Just stay close to the shrine maiden, do everything the mistress told you, and don't wander off alone. You do that I'm sure you won't get into any dangerous situations; like getting mauled, or gored, or sucked dry, or cursed, or seared, or..."

"... You can stop talking now" I stopped her before more damages is done. This is what happens when you trust someone that is too honest for their own good; their reassurance can sometimes turns into a double edged sword. Looking at the mansion again, I swallowed heavily. "Okay... I'm going in then... Wish me luck"

"Good luck" Meiling lightly pat me in the back while giving me a small push.

Not trusting my voice, I just nodded quietly as I stepped through the gate.

Having gone through the gate, I lightly jogged to catch up with Reimu and the maid who's already waiting for me at the large door in front of me. As I catch up to them, the maid opens the door for us.

"Welcome to the Scarlet Devil Mansion"

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**19:22 PM**

Entering the mansion for the first time, I am awestruck by the grandiose hall that we walked into. It's certainly got a very European design style, with all the stone and marble lining the room, but what's even more impressive is the fact that the whole room is so neat and tidy. Polished statues, cobwebs free ceilings and elegantly polished floor; this really doesn't feel like your everyday vampire's lair.

Then there are the small girls with the nearly transparent wings flying about as they dusted the ceilings and walls. They must be the fairy maids I once read about in the chronicle...

"Please follow me" The maid said as she starts walking.

Reimu silently followed her, so I quickly followed suit.

The maid led us down to the side corridor of the mansion's wing. Throughout the way I keep looking left and right, completely awed by the place. I'm also very curious with the fairies flying around. Using the last remains of Meiling's copied ability, I let my sense burst out as far as it can.

In the next second before it faded out, I received many dozens feedbacks from every being that is currently within 20 metres of me. I now have no doubt that this large mansion has a pretty large workforce of fairies working all over the place.

Hm?

I stopped moving and quickly turn around. The long hallway we were walking through comes into view. The hallway is exactly the same as when we walked through them just seconds ago; deserted and scarcely decorated with little furniture. There's also that group of fairies that passed us by earlier, still struggling to carry that large laundry basket with their tiny hands.

All in all, there's nothing out of the ordinary here. But it was weird... For a second there I thought I sensed something right behind me. And that something is not a fairy...

Was it just a false alarm? I'm just being overly conscious about the place?

"Hey Shirou, you're coming or what?" Reimu called out from ahead.

"O-okay" I replied back.

Giving one last look behind me, I rushed ahead to catch up with Reimu and the maid.

* * *

><p><strong>? POV<strong>

**19:25 PM**

Red eyes peeked out of her hiding place. Seeing the human starting to walk away, she grinned before she flew out of her hiding place. Ignoring the pile of clothing that falls out and the scared fairies, she quietly resumes her self-driven task of following the humans.

While she was familiar with the shrine maiden, the other human male is a new face to her. He looks pretty plain, yet her sister invited him to the mansion as a guest. Why? What's so interesting about him?

Overwhelmed by curiosity, she has been hiding near the entrance ever since she woke up. As soon as she saw today's guests arriving, she's been quietly following them. While her sister makes it very clear that she doesn't want her to be around him, it'll be fine if she stayed out of sight right? She was bored anyway, and sneaking around like this is pretty fun in its own right.

The human glance backward again, so she dives behind a large potted plant. Pressing her back to the wall so her wings won't show, she waited a bit to make sure the human didn't see her.

Few seconds passed and she peeked around her cover just in time to see her target turning left around the corner.

Where are Sakuya taking them? There's nothing of interest in that side of the mansion beside the library. Is she taking them to Patchouli? Is her sister also waiting there?

She trailed behind the corner, just in case the human looks back again.

Let's see... sneaking into the library undetected might be a bit hard since Patchouli keeps the place warded up against intruder, but surely the magician won't mind her intruding as long she didn't break too many of her wards. And the library has many hiding spots as well, so it's a good place to continue her little game.

Her mind made up and having stalled behind enough time, the little blond girl starts moving again. Her destination is set, straight into the Great Library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou's POV<strong>

**19:34 PM**

The maid led us into a large library before disappearing on us. It's not a big concern though since our host is already ahead of us within sight.

The vampire grinned wide when she saw us coming. "Welcome Reimu, Shirou. I have been expecting you" She greeted us from the comfy chair she's sitting on. "Have a seat" She pointed at the chairs across her.

Reimu and I did as she told and took a seat.

Now normally I would be freaking out for being in close proximity to the vampire, but right now my mind is too numbed out from being surrounded by all the books. This library has a ridiculous number of books! Rows and rows of shelves strewn tightly all over the not small room and each shelves going as high as the roof which is at least 5 stories tall. And don't get me started on the number of books off the shelves that are scattered around the place.

Reimu looks around the place. "Where's that magician of yours?"

"Patchi is around here somewhere, doing the final preparations for whatever it is she got planned for him. While we wait, do join me for some tea"

The maid then reappears back holding a small tray. "I brought some refreshments" She said while placing down a cup of tea for both me and Reimu. Looking at the tea, the shrine maiden gets a light brown tea while mine is a bit darker than usual.

"This is...?"

"It's a strong herbal tea. It helps to soothe the mind" The maid answered when I questioned her.

Nodding at her answer, I slowly take a small sip of the drink. I didn't drink it down straight away, not until I'm completely sure it didn't have any blood in it, and thankfully it didn't.

The vampire takes a drink from her own cup before putting down her dark red drink. "So Reimu, what exactly has that youkai told you about him?"

"Yukari never really tells me anything, what makes you think it's different this time?"

"I've expected that answer, but it still annoys me to hear it..." The vampire sighed before turning to me. "What about you? Did that Youkai tells you why she brought you here?"

I shake my head. "Not really... no"

"Not even about your ability?"

I glanced at Reimu, only to saw her gave me a small nod. "Aside from it was an accident, nothing really" I gave an honest answer.

"So even the walking incident himself have no idea what was expected of him. How typical of that gap Youkai. She covers her tracks well" The vampire frowned as mused to herself. The frown soon gives way for a fanged smirk. "So how is it being under Reimu's care? Did she do a proper job about it?"

"That's... something I can't easily answer..." I evaded the question since Reimu is sitting just next to me. It would not do to start another argument with her at this vampire's home.

"Heh, that's rare. You're tongue tied in respect?" Reimu smirked as she throws a light jab at me.

My annoyance instantly peaked at the shrine maiden's haughty tone, so I counter attack. "It's called being polite. You should try it sometimes" I said before I reach out and start drinking my tea again.

Ah... this indeed is soothing... and a good excuse to ignore Reimu as well.

I drawled it out as long as I can before I put down the empty cup. No sooner than I did, I instantly got smacked hard on the head by a large object.

"O-Ow..." I cradle my head in pain as the thick book that just bounced off my head landed on my lap.

Glancing to my left, Reimu is huffing angrily as she gulps down her tea. Dammit! I kinda expected that, but to actually have it done to me... this greedy, temperamental shrine maiden... I grumpily swallow down a few choice words I was planning to say.

"A-ha-ha-ha, it seems I get an honest answer even without you saying anything" The vampire is absolutely enjoying herself as she laughed merrily. The silver haired maid behind her is smiling too as her shoulder shook from her suppressing her laughter.

Feeling embarrassed, I just keep my eyes down as the vampire keeps laughing.

"Please keep your voice down. This is a library in case you forgets" A girl in purple, the same one from the party a few days back, came looking very annoyed as she told the vampire to shut up.

"Ha-ha, sorry about that Patchi" The vampire offhandedly apologised.

"Really now..." The girl in purple sighed. "Koakuma, did you get those wards set up?"

A red haired girl appears and landed next to her. "It's all done. We're good to go any time" The tiny black wings on her head flapped playfully as she talks, the same goes to the larger black wings on her back.

"Good. Should we do this now or do you wanted to talk with him some more?" The girl, Patchouli asked the vampire as she indicated at me.

"Just do it now. There is plenty of time to talk during dinner" The vampire said as she waved her hand at me. A common universal sign to say, 'just take him'.

"Very well then. Koakuma..." She glanced at the winged red-haired girl next to her.

"Okay! Please come with me Shirou-san" The girl motioned for me to follow her.

"Um... okay?" I stand up from my seat, but I lingered in the spot as I become increasingly worried at what's to come.

"Mind if I came along?" Reimu stands up from her seat. It doesn't look like she's going to take no for answer, which reassures me somewhat.

"Of course. As long you do nothing to interfere with the examination" The magician told her.

Me and Reimu share a glance at the word 'examination'. Just what exactly she is she examining me for? The shrine maiden just shrugged before she motioned for me to follow the magician. Shaking my head at her lack of help, I start walking.

By the way, the vampire and maid came along as well, which becomes a big nuisance when we arrived at the centre of the library and the magician suddenly told the maid to grab hold of me. Before I can say anything, I found myself once again pinned down to the ground, exactly the same was I was pinned down three days ago back in the party, with the red haired girl taking Marisa's role.

"I have a bad feeling about this..." I groaned, completely helpless as I'm being hold down. "Just to make sure, but this is not going to hurt is it?"

"If all goes correctly, then this ritual won't harm you in any way" Patchouli answered as she flips through a book real quick.

"And if something went wrong?"

"Then you'll be experiencing many physical discomforts..." Closing the book with an air of finality, the magician raised a glowing hand towards me.

A thick rope of magic encircle around my wrist and legs, tightly binding me to the ground much harder than when I was just being hold down by the maid and unknown girl. "You can let him go Sakuya. Koakuma, to my side"

The two girls followed her order, the maid heading back to the vampire's side and the red haired girl to the magician's side.

Waiting until the area around me is clear, the purple magician started to chant in an unfamiliar language to me. I don't know what she's saying, but the after effect caused my eyes to widen and I start trashing against my binding.

"THE HELL!? I yelled out. How can I stay still while seeing what's happening in front of me!

With her arms spread open, a large amount of magical energy flew out of the purple magician. The purple coloured energy whipping randomly in the air above me before they start congealing and forming into large thick... "Are those FREAKING TENTACLES?!"

Yes, the shape and form the energy takes is disturbingly a lot like the long elongated limbs that is commonly found on octopus and other similar animal. Seeing it lashing out above me and COMING TOWARDS ME, I obviously start panicking.

"It can't be helped; the original spell came from Makai after all. When I re-purposed it as an examination ritual, the feelers has to stay as the main core of the rite" Patchouli calmly explained to the freaking out me.

How could she stay indifferent under this kind of situation!? This is crazy! Inhumane! Sinister! Not to mention...

"Ack!" I yelped when one of the tentacles graze at my left leg. Oh no-no-no-no! This is so wrong! I wanted to start screaming in protest, but the thought of me getting 'silenced' by these tentacles caused me to shut my mouth tight.

The magician lowered her arms lower and lower, and the tentacles follows suit. But then she paused just as the tentacles hovers an inch or two above me. "Sakuya"

The maid coughed lightly to get her breathing under control before she address the magician. "Yes Patchouli-sama?"

"Could you check the bookshelf around here and make sure everything is in place?" She glanced at a distant bookshelf to her right.

Getting the hint, the maid slowly nodded. "I'll get right on it"

Taking one last look at my hapless form, the maid turns around and walks away. One second she's there, and then in the next second she's gone.

* * *

><p><strong>? POV<strong>

**19:53 PM**

Getting to the library is pretty easy for her, but navigating through the wards and charms protecting the place slowed her down considerably. When she hasten her pace and start getting too eager to see what's causing all the commotion ahead, she accidentally tripped one of the protective ward hidden on the bookshelf.

She bites her lip to suppress her voice as she cradles her burned hand. It's already healing, but the power behind that ward was ridiculous as ever, she would've been burned to a crisp is she didn't destroy it in time.

Ignoring uncomfortable feeling on her right arm, the girl starts moving again. What's going on over there? She really wants to know...

"What are you doing Flandre-sama?"

Hearing the voice coming from behind her, Flandre froze and slowly turns around. She sighed when she saw the maid standing behind her. It looks like she was caught, though thankfully not by her sister. "Sakuya, I was just playing here by myself. Nothing to be concerned about"

The maid is unflinching. "Flandre-sama, didn't your sister told you to stay away from today's guest?"

"All she said is I'm not suppose to let him see me; nothing stops me from doing the opposite right? Think of it as a game; how close can I get without alerting the human. This is way more exciting than to just stay inside my room"

"Flandre-sama..." What the maid was going to say is suppressed under a shrill scream coming from ahead accompanied by a fit of laughter.

"What's going on there?" The blonde girl turn around and curiously tries to see what's going on but the maid appear in front of her with her arm extended to block her path.

"It's inappropriate Flandre-sama, so please stand back"

She frowned at having her path blocked, hand flexing slightly as to reflect her annoyance. It would be so very easy to just 'kyuu' the maid, but her sister have told her many times that Sakuya is not a toy that she's allowed to break. Disappointed that her fun has ended for now, she sits down on the bookshelf, letting her legs dangle from the edge. "Fine, if Sakuya feels this strongly then I'll back down for now. But you won't do anything or say anything to onee-sama about me spying on that person, okay?"

"... Very well" The maid nodded, visibly more relieved for reason that eluded her.

"So how long do I have to wait?"

"For his sake, I hope not long"

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**20:38 PM**

"I feel so... violated..." I mumble with my face down on the table. Even after being cut loose from the inhumane testing that was done to me, I can still feel the... horrible tentacles... coiling around me... rubbing me... even going as far as to sneak under my clothes...

Thank the Gods that no 'penetration' took place, but still...

"Stop complaining" Patchouli said to me from where she's sitting across the dining table.

"That's right. Just be glad that it's over already" Reimu consoled me from her seat next to me. Sadly though, her words didn't have much effect on me since she's still grinning from ear to ear at my earlier misfortune.

"So Patchi, what can you tell me about him?" The vampire curiously leaned forward from the head of the table.

The magician in purple sighed. "Can it wait? I'm still tired after such a complicated ritual"

Tired huh?

Glancing upward from the table, I take look at the magician. She's leaning back on her chair, head resting on the head rest with her eyes closed; she certainly does look very exhausted. The maid left a cup of tea for her some time ago, but even now she has yet drunk from the still full cup as her arm lay limp on her side.

Her fatigue is obvious to everyone present, including the vampire. "Fine then, but you'll give me something worthy of the wait will you not?" Remilia postponed the question, but didn't drop it.

"... Of course"

Nodding at the half-awake magician, the vampire switches her gaze to me. "Well then Shirou, I must admit even I myself was surprised at what transpired earlier. Care to share your thoughts while you were being subjected to Patchi's tort- inspection?"

"I doubt he enjoyed it, but do tell us" Reimu chirped in. She's clearly enjoying having this edge over me.

"Grh..." I slammed my head onto the table, hoping it would wipe the horrible memory from my brain. It didn't work of course and now I got a small bump on my head. But then I slammed my head again just for the sake of another try.

Hah... is there nothing that can make me forget this disturbing memory?

"Dinner is ready" The maid along with a few fairies came back into the library carrying trays of food.

I instantly straightened up in my seat. "All right! I'm really hungry!" And that's all I need to perk back up. I can hear Reimu scoffing at my nearly instantaneous recovery, but hey, sometime being simple minded is the best thing to face most of your problems.

We originally were going to have dinner at the dining hall somewhere else in the mansion, but since the magician is too tired to even move, we ended up having dinner here. Sure eating in a place surrounded by dusty books and tomes takes away some of my appetite, but when one of the fairy place a tray in front of me and opens it revealing a large grilled beef with side of potato and salad, suddenly the dinner environment no longer matter.

There's also a set of silver cutlery next to the plate; fancy. Picking up the fork and knife, I am set to dig into the meat.

Though just to be sure...

"This is safe for me to eat right?" I asked the maid.

In response to my weird question, the maid just smiled. "Have no worries. The one in front of you and Reimu is simple grilled beef marinated with pressed garlic. I'm sure you'll enjoy it"

"Okay, so mine and Reimu's are safe... what about..." I stop myself before I asked a question that I don't want to know the answer. "Uh... never mind. Thanks for the food" Making a note to not look at what the vampire is eating, I cut into the meat in front of me. Spearing a piece with my fork, I bring it up to my mouth and bit into it.

Huwaaah! This is good!

* * *

><p><strong>Sakuya POV<strong>

**20:39 PM**

Seeing her mistress and the guests dig through their meal, the maid allows herself to let out a tired sigh, quietly of course. Her body is feeling pretty sluggish for some reason; she must've exhausted herself a bit too much while cleaning up the destroyed room earlier on in the day.

Glancing at her pocket watch, she checked the time. It's already past half an hour; the little mistress would've resumed her spying game again by now. So she should be around here...

She snaps close her pocket watch, and instantly her world changes.

Everything came to a halt, for neither time nor life exist in this world of hers. A place where none of life's joy and pain could exists, for they are neither wanted nor necessary. The deafening silence of this world would've driven lesser men insane, for this is how the world shall be as it ends.

Nevertheless, this world of her, this empty desolate world, has been a part of her for a very long time. And that is quite the understatement, for time itself is immaterial for her.

The maid turns and starts walking in this world, alone as ever. For she's the only sole walker of this world; neither cursed nor blessed, for she has never needed to know the answer to that question.

... And nor does she ever wanted to know.

* * *

><p><strong>Flandre POV<strong>

**20:39 PM**

Peeking downward from one of the towering bookshelf, she observes her sister and the others having their meal. Seeing them eating their meal, her stomach reacted without her consent, asking to be fed. As tempted as she was to head back to her room to get something to eat, she has yet to satisfy her curiosity so she stays put.

Still though... she's starting to get really hungry...

A soft footstep alerted her to someone approaching her, and she quickly turns around, fangs bared as a growl came out of her mouth.

To her credit, the approaching maid is hardly unfazed by the threatening display. "Flandre-sama, I've taken the liberty to prepare a light meal for you. Would you like some?" Sakuya hold up a small carry table with her, on top of it is a covered plate that blocks the food underneath from view.

Her irritation all but evaporates when she saw the offered food. "Thanks Sakuya"

The maid just smile at her as she put down the table. Not saying anything else, she removes the cover from the plate, revealing...

Unbeknownst to Flandre, her sister tensed and glanced upward at her direction the moment her food is uncovered. In her hunger, the little devil's sister has forgotten about the sensitivity of a vampire's sense of smell and the strong stench that is emitting from her specially prepared food.

But she could care less about such details as she speared a large piece of her food and brought it to her mouth, uncaring how it splatters red liquid all over her mouth as she bit into it.

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**20:40 PM**

The vampire stops eating suddenly. Leaning back on her chair, she turns around and shifted her gaze upward to the ceiling. It's an odd behaviour from someone on a dining table during dinner, even for a vampire, but right now I could care less about it as I am more focused on this large slab of meat in front of me.

I mean, sure I was expecting a western style dinner, but never in my mind crossed the thought that they'd serve a grilled steak for me; a damn good one too.

Then the vampire sighed. "What is she doing there?" She muttered quietly, but since the table is quiet bar the clanking cutlery, everyone present can clearly hear her words, me included.

"Just let her be..." Patchouli weakly replied. She just managed to drink her tea after much effort. Putting down her tea cup, her hands once again falls limp onto her side. "She's neither doing any harm nor is she going against your word.

"I agree with Patchouli-sama" Said the red haired girl.

"It is fine is it not Milady?" The maid said as she appeared from wherever she went to earlier.

The vampire looks annoyed, but nevertheless she nodded... then she turns to Reimu.

"As long as she stays away then I don't care" She curtly replied before she resumes eating.

Under the uncaring attitudes surrounding her, the vampire hung her head dejectedly. "Good grief... What's with all this spoiling treatment?" She grumbled. Then she picks up her knife again and resumes eating, so I guess she let the matter drop.

That's good. I was starting to feel left out by the conversation since I'm the only person here who have no idea who or what these people are talking about. I want to ask, but I opted to just stay quiet since I'm not sure how the vampire will react if I try to pry into something that wasn't my business.

... Maybe I'll ask Reimu when we're done here.

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**21:26 PM**

"We're finally done here" Reimu makes little attempt to suppress her yawn.

Having finished dinner, I can scarcely stop the creeping drowsiness from invading. Noticing my sleepiness, the vampire told me go home to catch some sleep. Taking the gesture as a subtle dismissal, I stand up and excused myself after thanking her once again for the wonderful dinner. Reimu also joins me and together we're now making our way out of the mansion.

"You two ate so much. Is your stomach going to be okay?" The red haired girl from the library asked us. She was assigned by the vampire to see us off the mansion, so she's been with us ever since we left the vampire and the magician back at the library. The maid also came with us, but she disappeared as soon as we exited the library, so it's just us three now.

"Even if it's not I'll force it to be okay with pure willpower" I replied with a shrug. It's true that I might have eaten a bit too much even for me, but waste not good food, especially when it's free.

"It won't be as ridiculous as how he said it, but yeah, the same goes to me" Said Reimu. It's not every day that Reimu and I see eye to eye; today is one of those rare days. "That was really good. Sakuya can really cook"

"Why didn't you tell her that then? I'm sure she would be happy if she heard you say that" The red haired girl asked her.

"... Surely she already knows without me telling her"

"That or she figured it out herself from watching you gobble down all the food" I grinned when the shrine maiden flinched in mid-step as she heard my cheeky comment.

"Didn't you eat as much as me? Perhaps even more"

"Maybe, but I don't have any problem with letting that maid knows how much I like the food"

"That's true, he certainly let Sakuya-san know how good the food was many times as I remember it. And also, you two ate roughly the same amount" The red haired girl clarified. She didn't join us for dinner, but she's still hanging around the area as she was tending to the weakened magician. With that said, the reliability of her support statement is enough to put down the shrine maiden.

"..." Reimu clamped her mouth shut and averted her eyes to the ceiling.

I inwardly cheered for this small victory against the shrine maiden. This is turning out to be a good day after all; of course the tentacle thing is a massive downer, but not only did I get a really delicious and free diner, I also managed to get a one up over Reimu. So it's not bad at all.

Speaking of which...

"By the way, was there someone else in the library with us?" I asked them about the unseen person that was mentioned during dinner.

At my question, Reimu and the other girl glance at each other. The girl throw a questioning look at Reimu, and the shrine maiden just shrugged. "Well actually... Remilia-sama's little sister was hiding in the library earlier" The girl told me.

"Little sister...?" I was taken back to when Reimu and Meiling was talking earlier before we entered the mansion. I was too tired to be paying attention back then, but I still grasp some of the conversation. "Is this the same person that Meiling said destroyed a room because she couldn't come out and play?"

"Actually she levelled a room and nearly destroyed another, but yes, that was Flandre-sama"

"She's someone you can live without ever meeting with, just be glad that you didn't run into her today"

I shivered at the reply I'm getting. Though neither said it, the message was very clear; stay away from this person. Still, I wonder what kind of person this little sister is. She sounded dangerous, but didn't she stay away from me because Remilia told her to? So at the very least she's obedient... to an extent.

For the rest of the way out, I asked a few questions about this little sister and Remilia herself. The answer I get is a bit mixed up between Reimu's opinion of dangerous brats and the red haired girl's more conservative words. In the end, I just take both their opinion and assume that the two vampire siblings are complicated but good people that can instantly annihilate someone if they wanted to. A bit contradicting, but it's the best I got.

Oh, and also, the red haired girl introduces herself as Koakuma. According to her, she's summoned by Patchouli as her familiar. Nowadays her job is to care of the magician and her abode, which means the mansion's library itself. It sounded like a very hard job for just one or two girls to care for such a humongous library, but she seemed to enjoy it and that's the important thing.

Koakuma was telling me and Reimu about the times when she came to check on Patchouli only to find her buried under a mountain of books when the mansion's large entry door came into view.

* * *

><p><strong>Patchouli POV<strong>

**21:36 PM**

"The ability to alter his existence?" There's doubt riddling Remilia's voice.

The magician shrugged. She can understand the vampire's scepticism since such a thing is practically unheard of until now. One's existence is the very definition of one's self, defined by themselves, others, and the world itself. It is unique in the way that it was granted onto one the very moment one comes into this world. Unlike the fickle fate and the capricious luck, one's existence hardly ever changes. A human that is born from human parents is expected to die human as well for that is what the world expected them to do.

Of course, though few succeed, there are some who attempted to change their existence; a cat gaining another life as a nekomata, a fox that sprout nine tails, a raccoon that changes its form, these are examples of those who manage to alter their existence in a way that the world does not expect them to.

There are also humans that manage this feat rare as they are. Ignoring the common natural shift that are ghosts and celestials, humans that trained themselves in the way of magic become known as magicians while those that surrender their inner desire become a hermit. Either transformation requires the human to train their bodies for years if not dozens of year.

And yet this particular human existence is changing and adapting with such ease... Very curious.

"As I said, that is the most probable hypothesis I came up with; the human's existence has loosened to the point that it has become malleable to outside's influence" She paused slightly as she drinks her tea. Putting down the empty cup, she let Sakuya cleans it up for her. "Judging by the extremity of his... condition, I'd say it is less of an ability and more like an intrinsic condition for him"

"You say outside influences affects him, what do you mean by that?"

"It's just as I said, and I meant that very loosely. By every right, any and all contact with a non-human being will trigger a change in him"

"So if I hang around him long enough, sooner or later he'll be turned into a vampire?"

"That is a misconception on your part Remi. Even a direct touch will affect him in the most minuscule and unnoticeable scale. Though if it's you, then the possibility for such scenario does exist..."

"If it's me?"

"Extremely powerful being like you tends to be leaking power like a broken pipe. So I won't be surprised if he gets influenced from prolonged exposure"

"A broken pipe you say?" Remi looks extremely annoyed at her poor attempt of a joke. The vampire then stands up and spread her wings while spreading her left arm dramatically. "It is far too less! Someone like me would be gushing out power like a fountain!" The vampire adamantly stated.

"..." She just sighed in exasperation. Behind the vampire she can also see Sakuya mirroring her action.

Obviously hearing the sigh, the vampire just ignores them and sits down again while smirking. "So to others that is not me. If direct contact barely changes him, how does he usually do it then?" She asked a surprisingly good question.

The answer would require a complicated and lengthy explanation; something that the impatient vampire would barely pays attention too. So not wanting to waste her breath, the magician simplified it into a few words. "A direct surge of energy" She answered.

The vampire and maid doesn't seem to understand even the simplified answer, so she takes out one of her many spell cards and place it down onto the table as an example.

Remilia picks up the card and twirls it in her hand. "...danmaku you mean?"

"Yes, a single bullet shot anywhere near his vicinity would trigger a near full body change in him. The more exposure the longer and stronger the change will be. At least that's the theory; those spell cards of his is a strong basis for it"

"Well that's convenient, and certainly makes him all the more interesting"

"I'm sure you'll have much fun with him"

"That's the plan"

The magician sighed as Remilia starts grinning. Hopefully the boy can fulfil the vampire's expectation; else she shudder for what Remilia will do when she gets bored of him.

There's a certain fact that she omitted to tell Remi. Near the end of the examination, she discovers that while the boy's existence is extremely malleable, the inner core of his being was strengthened to the extremity as well. It is doubtful that even the most drastic change will ever shake the boy's inner foundation.

A human... That is something the boy will always be, no matter how much he changes. And in Gensokyo, she has to wonder, is that a good thing or a bad thing?

As she was pondering about that fact...

"May I ask a question?" Ask the maid.

"Go ahead"

Sakuya looks nervous as she glances at the mistress of the mansion. "What would happen to him if by chance Flandre-sama gets too close to him?"

The way the maid asks the question and the question itself trigger an alarm of warning in the magician's head. Looking at Remilia, she saw the vampire looking back at her as she nodded. Getting the approval, the magician hummed while she considers the scenario.

"Well..."

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**21:32 PM—A few minutes BEFORE above scene**

I zip my pants up and left the toilet cubicle swirling as things went down the drain. Bad timing to answer nature's call, but when you gotta go you really gotta go. Good thing there's a bathroom very conveniently placed near the entrance hall. Koakuma was very descriptive on the path to take so I found it quite easily.

Stopping by the wash stall I turn the knob and rinse my hand under the water.

Seriously, does Reimu really have to make such a disgusted face when I told her I'm just going to the toilet? I'm sure even she also needs to goes to toilets once in a while. And I'm only taking a leak for goodness' sake.

Hands clean, I went ahead to wash my face as well. Though Reimu said she'll make sure I get back to the village safely, I also need to stay alerts just in case something happens, which is why I gave my cheek an extra hard scrubbing to I force my sleepiness away. It didn't work as I'm still sleepy, so I splash cold water directly onto my eyes. The stinging feeling that follows wakes me slightly.

Rubbing the water off my face, I turn off the water and reach out for the towel beside the stall. Quickly drying my face, I lower the towel and start drying my hand.

And then I saw her...

Reflected in the mirror in front of me, I saw a pair of red eyes looking at me from between the creak on the bathroom door. I froze as I saw the reflection; but the blonde girl didn't react at all. It seems that she's unaware that I saw her.

Looking at the peeking girl, my mind starts racing haphazardly; fear, confusion, panic, worries. But amidst the jumbled up thoughts in my mind, one thing resounded like a gong inside of me.

'_She looks just like her...' _

The reflected image blurred in my mind as a similar image from my memory overlap with what I'm seeing. A few months ago the same thing happens to me while I was still in the orphanage. I was stressed from finding out about the orphanage's decreased funds, so I was cooling my head off by splashing water on my face. The water didn't helps and I ended up lost in thought while standing in front of the wash stall. That's when I notice her peeking at me from the door. Her blonde hair is wet and her eyes are puffy from crying.

"Suzuna..." My head is a mess, but I manage to say her name.

Turning around, I look at the peeking girl straight in the eyes. Seeing she was seen, the girl turns and bolts away. This reaction is exactly the same as from that time, so this confuses me even more.

"W-wait!" Not thinking properly, I give chase to the girl.

* * *

><p><strong>Flandre's POV<strong>

**21:34 PM**

Checking behind her, she's very surprised when she saw the human actually chases after her. Curious, she slowed down just a bit to allow the human to catch up to her, but she quickly picks up the pace once more as her sister's words echoed in her mind.

"_Fine, you are not confined to your room for tomorrow. But by no means are you allowed to let the humans sees you. Failed to do this and I'll have you confined to your room for the rest of the week!"_

She doesn't want to make her sister angry with her!

With that thought in mind, she speeds up even more. By doing so, she can hear the running footsteps of the human growing weaker and weaker as the distance between them grows. But it was not until she nearly can't hear him anymore that another thought came into mind.

_Why is the human chasing her?_

Abruptly stopping in her track, she turns around and peek her head around the corridor where she last heard the human. No sooner that she did she was spotted by him and he starts giving chase again.

Seeing she got his attention, she starts running again.

The human manages to keep up with her a bit longer this time, but it's no surprise that she manages to outrun him again with little effort. Then having lost him for the second time, she went and look for him the second time as well.

Finding him confusedly looking around, she lingers behind until the human spotted him again, and when he does, she starts running again.

Then she loses him again, and she'd look for him again.

... And again.

... And then one more time.

This cycle repeats a few more times before...

* * *

><p><strong>Reimu POV<strong>

**21:38 PM**

"Seriously where the heck is he?" The shrine maiden grumbled.

Having braving going into the bathroom after her incessant knocking receives no reply; she found it to be empty. There's a discarded towel on the floor, so that means he was here earlier since there's no way the head maid would be careless enough to leave a towel on the floor.

Unable to find him, she can't help but to feel annoyed; and worried.

"Maybe he got lost on the way back?" The devil shrunk back when the shrine maiden fixed a stern glare toward her. As she does so, she notices a fairy lazily smacking the wall with a feather duster. "Um... excuse me, Fairy-san" Koakuma called out to the fairy. Having been called, the small fairy approaches the red haired familiar. "By any chance did you see a human passing by here?"

The fairy thought for a moment before she pointed at the shrine maiden. "There's one over here—eek!" It cowers before Koakuma as Reimu angrily pulled her paper charms out.

"Let's try this one more time. Was there another human, beside me, that came this way?"

"Y-Yes! A human male! He went that way!" The poor fairy squeaked out while pointing at the hallway opposite of the entrance.

"Ugh... what is he doing...?" Reimu growled.

"I-I'm sure he got a good reason for it" Koakuma tries to calm down the angry looking shrine maiden.

"What's a good reason for getting lost?"

"Um..."

As the librarian familiar is at a lost, the fairy peeked out from behind her shoulder. "Actually... it looks like that human was following Flandre-sama"

Reimu's fuming scowl instantly melted into a terrified look.

* * *

><p><strong>Patchouli POV<strong>

**21:42 PM — following right after her last scene.**

"Well... Flandre's power to destroy is absolute. But in theory, he could survive if he ever came in contact with this destructing energy, provided that he manage to shift his existence to one of a vampire before the damage reach his soul" She told the maid.

"So he'll be fine?" Sakuya asked.

The purple magician narrowed her eyes as subtle worry creeps through the maid's usually composed face. "I never said that. Her power of destruction destroys near instantaneously. Whether he'd survive or not, he would've experience an unimaginable pain as his humanity being torn apart and healed just to be torn again"

"That sounded unpleasant. I'll be sure to remember that for future reference" Looking at the vampire, the magician flinched at the eyes of a cunning predator that were looking back at her. "So Sakuya, is there's something that you are not sharing with me about my dear sister?"

Though the red eyes are not looking at her, the magician still shivered as the way the atmosphere of her library suddenly drops at the vampire's words.

Taking the full brunt of the accusing gaze, the maid's knee buckled and she nearly falls if she did not catch herself in time. Though she still maintained her composure, it is very obvious that she's barely holding on. "F-Flandre-sama has expressed an interest to the boy, so I was just being concerned"

"I can tell that she was interested from how she was disobeying me to sneak a peek on the boy. I let it slide that time since you all thought it was a whimsical act born out of curiosity, including you Sakuya. But that was then now is now; is there something you're not telling us?"

Under the vampire's fierce gaze and with nowhere to run, the maid sighed in defeat. "My apologies Remilia-sama. But I am sure that she won't intentionally do any harm to him"

"And yet you asked me about the repercussion, so you do have some concerns" The magician pointed out the maid's flaw in her logic.

"As you say..." The maid shakes her head in thought. "Flandre-sama seems to have taken it as a game to follow him around the mansion. So I was concerned that her being so close to him will put him in danger"

Patchouli furrowed her brow at that. "A game you say?"

"Yes, that is what she told me earlier" The maid nodded while glancing at her mistress.

The vampire is quietly rubbing her forehead. Leaning back on her chair, she let out a drawled sigh. "Really that sister of mine..." She muttered.

Having been around the vampire for a long time, the magician let a thin smile as she notice the way the vampire is torn between exasperation and pleased at the way her sister is acting. "There shouldn't be a problem then. As I said before, though the boy's existence can shift from being around high powered beings, it would take a prolonged exposure before his existence recognised it as a trigger to change"

The maid seems visibly more relieved as she heard the magician. Then noticing the magician lifting an empty tea cup, she takes the cup from her and went to refill it.

As she watches the maid pouring fresh tea from the pot, the magician sighed. Though she knows for sure there's little risk of letting the little sister being around the human, it would be a different case if the two somehow manage a direct contact. The sudden exposure to the destructive power coursing through her body would trigger painful, if not fatal reaction through his body.

But of course, as she said, the chance of that happening is minimal. Surely things would be fine.

But then her familiar came rushing into the library in panic.

* * *

><p><strong>Shirou POV<strong>

**21:43 PM—at the same time as above, on the other side of the mansion.**

"Huwaah!"

Hearing the shriek, I push my tired legs to move even faster. Turning around the corner, I saw a hallway littered with many clothing article strewn across the floor. There are many fairy maids running around the hallway picking up the clothes and throwing them into a large laundry basket.

Picking up one of the larger clothing article near my feet, I notice that it's was just recently washed judging by the dampness. Giving the dress to one of the nearby fairy maid, I moved toward the big pile of squirming clothing in the middle of the mess zone that strangely is being ignored by the fairies. "Are you okay?"

At my voice, the pile stops squirming and become very still.

"Okay... um, let me get these off" I started to peel of the layers of clothing that covers the person I've been chasing.

"..." The person stayed very still as I dig her out.

In no time at all I've uncovered the buried girl, but then came the last hurdle. Try as I might, I cannot remove the bed sheet the girl was hiding under since she's holding it down with surprising strength. Seeing that it is a futile effort since the girl underneath is much stronger than me, I just sighed before kneeling down next to her. "Did I do something I wasn't supposed to?" I asked the small bundle.

I can see the silhouette inside nodding her head at my question.

"Then I'm sorry for chasing you. It's just that you reminded me of someone that I left behind when I came here"

There's no response for a few seconds. It looks like this person is dead set on not letting me see her. I was about to give up and walk away when suddenly. "... I look like someone?" A voice asked from under the sheet.

Surprised I was, I manage to answer the question. "Yes... someone very important to me; my sister to be precise" Though not by blood I added in my mind.

The figure stilled under the sheet. There's rustling noise from under there before the girl speak up again. "And you leave her?"

"It was to protect her"

"By leaving her?"

"Yes, it was the only way back then"

"Is it the right thing?"

"... I don't know. But I hope it is" I sighed as I recall the many times I've asked that question. Even now I still can't answer that, and without any way to contact home, there's no way I'll ever find out.

And then...

"Will you know if I let you see me?"

I am stunned at the offer, but I was even more surprised by the question. Will seeing this girl who looked painfully like Suzuna bring me any closure? The answer came very easily to me. "I doubt it. In fact, seeing you might bring up some painful memories"

"But you still wanted to see me?"

"... Yes"

Hearing my answer, the girl became quiet. Then without saying anything, the bed sheet covering her slowly moves.

My breath catches in my throat as I saw her; deep blood red eyes and short blonde hair, tied into a single ponytail on her side. She wears a red vest and skirt over a shirt and a pink mob cap that matches what Remilia was wearing. Then there's her wing, made of iron and crystal shards; eight shards, each shards glowing a different colour.

Seeing this girl in front of me there is no doubt in my mind that she's not human. But yet at the same time, the similarity is so uncanny...

Just what is this? Is this fate having fun at my expense?

The girl tilted her head to the side as she waited for my reaction. "... Onii-chan?"

The force between such an innocent words is so strong that it forces me backward. Forcing myself to calm down, I slowly shake my head at the girl. "N-no... not Onii-chan... please call me Shirou. That's my name"

"Okay... Shirou"

I force a smile on my face, though inside my emotion is running haywire. "Can you stand up? Here, let me help" I offered a hand to her.

The girl looks at me questioningly, but she nodded. Her hand move ever slowly towards mine, but then it stopped inches away from my hand. I figured she was just unsure about me, so I reach out to take her hand with mine.

"SHIROU! GET AWAY FROM HER!"

I stopped moving as I heard Reimu's yell, but by then my hand has took hold of the smaller hand.

* * *

><p><strong>Reimu POV<strong>

**21:45 PM—Right after the above.**

The shrine maiden watched in horror as the boy suddenly keeled over and start to scream in agony. Increasing her speed, she skidded to a halt beside them. "Flandre! Let go of him!" She told the little vampires when she saw that their hand is still touching.

"I can't. This human is not letting go" The little vampire looks confused as she struggles to pry off the hand that is holding hers tightly in a death grip. Unfortunately for the boy, the vampiric trait has started to manifest in him, giving him increased strength which he used to hold on to the vampire. In his pain riddled state, the thought that the person he's holding on to as a lifeline is the cause of his pain doesn't even cross his mind.

Seeing that the vampire really cannot pry him of, Reimu tries to help. But before she can do anything, her hands were bound to her back by the maid who appeared out of nowhere. "Sakuya? What are you doing?"

"Patchouli-sama said not to touch him. It could be dangerous"

"Dammit! Shirou! You have to let go! You hear me! Let go of her!" She has to yell loudly to not let her voice be drowned by the boy's pained scream. When the boy still hasn't let go, she screamed even louder. "I SAID LET GO!"

This time the boy did let go. Whether he heard the shrine maiden or not, he let go of the vampire's hand and collapse in the ground, unmoving.

The shrine maiden tries to reach out to him, but the maid is still holding her back. "Wait Reimu. Patchouli-sama is on the way here; let her examine him first before you do anything"

The shrine maiden looks like she wanted to protest, but seeing the stern look on the maid face, she angrily yank her hands free before backing away from him. "... Stupid idiot" She mutters.

"Sakuya..." The maid turns to look at the vampire girl who's now standing beside her. "Did I break him?"

* * *

><p><strong>Day 40-End<strong>

**Well... it's a cliffhanger. But as I said from the very first chapter, I'm writing this by the day, if the day ends, then I'm ending the chapter.**

****Just a reminder, this OC sister name is Suzuna; she's the little girl that he run into just when he was leaving back in chapter 1. I intentionally omitted what she looks like back then, but now you know. Basically she's the splitting image of Flandre, minus the wings and ability to destroy. ****

**Next chapter will be about him recovering and trying to came to term with the memories that triggers because of his meeting with Flandre. He'll need to sort his head and cool off a bit, so the next chapter will be very memories driven as he fully came to term with leaving behind his past life. **

**Though next chapter will explore more of his back story, it will be done so in a way that will not overshadow the Touhou characters. In fact, I'll have him meet a new character to help him Cool off.**

**Expect a cool danmaku fight in the next chapter! It's gonna be very cool! I promise! Cool? Cool!**

**Review please!**


	14. Day 41: Sorting Things Out

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**As I wrote this chapter, I realize that I'm not very goo d at dealing with emotional baggage, so this annoying chapter went through several rewrites before I stop thinking that it's crap. I admit it could have been better, but this is the best I can do right now.**

**Day 40: Sorting Things Out**

* * *

><p><strong>Dream Sequence - Shirou POV<strong>

_It was a very busy day, one of the bartenders called in sick so I had to pull a double shift to cover for him. Thanks to that, I finished work just before dawn. At least the boss is grateful for the effort, which is why he slips me little bit extra in today's pay._

_Arriving back at the orphanage, I take out my spare key and unlock the door._

_Heading in, I spare a moment to pause to lock the door behind me. It is still dark inside the orphanage; the dawn's light having yet to reach inside. Not bothering to turn on any lights, I stumble around in the dark toward my room. A few light curses and a throbbing shin later, I find my room and head in. Inside, I manage the last few steps to my bed before falling face first onto my bed; the soft mattress quickly carries me to slumber land..._

"_Welcome home Onii-chan."_

_My heart nearly leaps out of my throat in surprise when a voice greeted me from right beside me. Instantly awake, I moved away from the voice and ended up rolling off the bed. Crashing unceremoniously to the ground, I groaned in pain. _

_As I lay on the cold floor, the intruder turned on the small bedside lamp on the table. Peering down from the bed, she giggled. _

* * *

><p><strong>Somewhere that is not Home—Shirou POV<strong>

"Suzu... na..."

I found myself uttering her name as I woke up. Opening my eyes, the blurry ceiling above me slowly comes into focus. Slowly getting up, I winced when a flash of intense pain runs through me. It only lasted for a split second before disappearing completely, making me wonder if it's just my imagination that caused it.

Sitting up from the bed, I rub the sand out of my eyes as I take in my surrounding. In the barely lit room, I saw shapes and shadows of the typical essential furniture for a bedroom; a small desk and shelves on the side, small rug on the floor, and a comfortable and springy bed.

Yeah, this is definitely not my home. I don't have a desk and my only shelve is in the kitchen to hold the dishes. Nor do I have a floor rug and a bed, using only a simple futon to sleep.

This is not home. So where am I?

If this is an anime or something, there would be a large question marks painted on my face at this point. And if it was there, an exclamation point would be added to it as familiar maid walked into the room.

She looks surprised to see me up before her expression melted into relief. "Thank goodness you're awake"

"Sakuya-san?" The maid's appearance caught me off guard. "If you're here, then I'm still at the mansion?"

"Yes you are. Please wait a moment; Patchouli-sama wishes to see you as soon as you're awake" Not waiting for my reply, the maid turned around and left the room. As she does so, I hear the door making a small click sound.

Did she just lock me in? I got up from the bed and move to the door, only to find it locked indeed. Letting go of the door handle, I drag my feet back to the bed; if I can't leave then might as well make myself comfortable. The maid is going to get the magician and not the vampire, so it should be fine... Unless she's going to use that tentacle spell again... in that case, then we have a problem.

... Dammit, this room doesn't have any windows.

Time passes. I was pacing around the room looking for a way out when the maid came back, this time accompanied by the magician as she said she would. Seeing me panicking when she came in, Patchouli did not waste time as she once again creates another binding spell that immobilizes me on the spot.

"Koakuma, take off his shirt"

"Right away"

"Eh? Eh!?" Hearing orders like that, I of course starts to struggle against my bindings. It looks like a futile effort as the magic does not budge no matter how hard I struggle, so it's quite the surprise when the binding just suddenly broke and I got free. The freedom is pretty short lived though as Koakuma and Sakuya are already upon me.

A few minor altercations later and more than few flashes of sharp knives, I ended up sitting on the bed without my shirt while the magician holds a glowing hand over my chest. Thankfully no tentacles this time around...

"... Nothing wrong with the body; though that is to be expected" She muttered as she moved her hands upward to my head. "It still surprises me that you awoke so soon"

"Yesterday...?" Try as I to recall, my memory fails me as yesterday's event is nothing but blurry images. I can recall to an extent what happens, but I drew a blank after leaving the Scarlet Devil's library. "What do you mean? What happened yesterday? And why can't I remember it?"

"Because I put a minor hex on you to wipe the memory" She answered as she runs her fingers along my forehead.

At the word 'hex', I grab a hold of the intruding hand on my head. "Whoa-whoa-whoa! You did what!?"

The magician kept a neutral expression and makes no action to shrug my hand off. "Either that or risk you going brain dead" She told me a matter-of-factly.

"How brain dead?"

"Completely"

"Uu..." I dejectedly let go of her hand.

Patchouli didn't say anything as she put her freed hand on my forehead. Resuming her check up, she makes little noise aside from a few sighs and grunts. After a minute or two, her hand cease to glow and she backed away from me. "Near total fragmentation in a matter of hours... at least it did its job before it become useless" She muttered a bit out of breath. "Mental condition looks stable so that's that. I'm heading back to the library. Koakuma, you stay and help Sakuya escort him out. When you're finished please get me my usual tea"

"Um... okay"

Nodding to her familiar, the magician gave me one last glance before she left.

As the door closed behind her, I let out a tired sigh. Are all magicians eccentric like that? First Marisa, then that doll user, and now her. The first one is a thief who got the word overkill as her trademark. The second one is almost normal if not for all the dolls surrounding her. And the third one is sickly with an acute sloth temperament. Is there no normal magician around here?

"Sakuya-san, what time is it?"

"It's just past midday"

"So that means your mistress is sleeping right? Good. I'm just gonna sneak out while she's asleep... can I have my shirt back please?"

* * *

><p><strong>Scarlet Devil's Kitchen-3rd POV<strong>

"Is Shirou-san is always that nonchalant? I'm impressed that he can stay calm after being told that his memory was wiped" Koakuma's voice rang through the kitchen. She and the maid are in the kitchen, her busy with making tea for her master while the maid is making a light snack for herself.

"I once heard Reimu complaining about that. So that's probably how he is" The maid answered as she put the finishing touches on a tray of sandwiches; some for her and the rest for the gatekeeper's lunch.

"Wow, he must be a very honest person then"

"Either that or he's an idiot"

"He-he" The familiar giggled. Her mirth soon fades as a more somber expression takes hold. "So what happened yesterday? When me and Patchouli-sama got there he was already..."

"That's not something I can answer" The maid shrugged as she take a quick bite at one of the sandwich. "I believe Patchouli-sama would be better suited to answer that question. Did you not ask her?"

"I did ask, but Pathcouli-sama's explanation is too complicated for me" The familiar sighed while she fills a small pot with water. Muttering a basic elemental spell her master taught her, the pot instantly heat up and the water inside boiled. Putting down the pot to let it cool, she turns to the maid once again. "What about Flandre-sama? Did she know what happened?"

"No, she's quite perplexed as well, and I can't fault her for it"

"I know... neither Remilia-sama nor Reimu-san blame her either since Shirou-san was the one who started chasing after her" This fact is made very clear by the many fairy maids that saw the two running around the mansion. While the little vampire is at fault for playing around too much and letting him catch her, it was decided that it was his fault for persisting on the chase.

"By the way, did Sakuya-san ever find out why Shirou-san was chasing Flandre-sama?"

"... According to Flandre-sama, she reminds him of someone"

"Really? Who?"

"Ironically, his sister..."

"Oh..." The familiar awkwardly muttered. That is indeed ironic in so many ways. "Well uh... I best finish making Patchouli-sama's tea"

"Yes, you do that" The maid replied as she finishes her meal. After she has done so, she takes the leftover and places them in a small picnic basket. Adding a small neatly prepared leftover salad from yesterday's dinner, it is now ready to be given to the gatekeeper.

Picking the basket, she then starts to leave the kitchen. Just as her hand touch the door handle, Koakuma calls out to her one last time.

"Sakuya-san, will you be going to the village anytime soon?"

"Not really, no. Why? Is there something you need?"

"Patchouli-sama's tea has run out" The familiar is shaking a depleted tea jar upside down, trying to gather the last remaining leaves to the grinder.

Seeing the spectacle, the maid let out an inaudible sigh while shaking her head.

* * *

><p><strong>The Freelancer's Home – Shirou POV<strong>

"I'm home..." I muttered as I stepped into my house. Since there's no one else in this house beside me, I walk right inside without waiting for a reply. It's a bit lonely, but I'm used to it by now.

Feeling very tired from the ordeal, I pulled up a chair and just collapse right on it. Letting my head rest on the table, I lazily look at the mail I got while I was gone; help wanted for spring harvest, help needed at some stores, babysitting request, and some restaurants flyers. Making a mental note to check on the jobs later, I put aside the mail and let out a sigh while closing my heavy eyes.

"... Why am I so tired?"

Usually I can make the trip from the mansion to the village quite easily and vice versa, but for some reason today my legs is all sore just after the halfway mark. Also, I'm feeling all stiff for some reason.

I sometimes woke up like this after a full day of manual labour, but I didn't do any of the sorts yesterday, did I?

"Haah..."

I stayed still for some time before I open my eyes again. As I do so, my sight falls at the big jar of sake Suika gave me some time ago as an apology for stepping on me. I chuckle at the memory; me coming home one afternoon to find Suika inside my home waiting for me with the sake. According to the oni, it's the strongest sake from where she came from, even stronger than the stuff she made me drink back at the party. With such description I have yet to gather the courage to even open the lid so I just let it be, it's too heavy for me to move anyway.

As I gaze at the overly big sake jar, my eyes then landed on the small backpack lying beside it. The very same backpack I was carrying when Yukari first drop me at Gensokyo.

Feeling drawn by it, I get up and walk to it. Crouching down next to the bag, I notice there are quite a few dust layers on top of it; not surprising since I've never bothered with it since the first night I spent in this house weeks ago.

Picking up the bag while dusting it off, I heard a rattle coming from inside it. That's weird since I was sure that I've emptied it before hand.

Opening the bag for the first time in a while, I rummage around and found a small rectangular item at the bottom of the bag.

"Heh, I almost forgot about this"

I took out a small picture frame from the bag. Encased within it is a picture of me and the other kids from the orphanage. Matron was not present as she was the one taking the picture. This one was taken during the New Year's celebration, so it's pretty recent.

Looking at the faces in the photo, I become reminiscent of the days gone past. Slowly I trace these faces one by one with my finger.

And then it happened. As I trace my finger over a certain blonde girl in the photo, I was hit by a splitting headache as images flash through my head; a reflected image from a mirror, a chase through a lit hallway, the girl hiding under the laundry.

"_...Onii-chan?"_

The images abruptly ended after that.

When I regained my awareness, I was panting on the floor, completely out of breath and drenched in cold sweat.

Stumbling around I make my way to the kitchen where I promptly splashes my head onto the water barrel. I keep my head under for as long as I can before I pull out.

"Hah... hah..." I'm breathing heavily. That just now... That was the memory from last night wasn't it? I remember I was chasing someone, someone that I don't want to let go. I keep chasing that person and then...

"Ow!" My head stung once again.

I was chasing someone, a girl... I was desperately chasing her. And then... I can't remember anymore. There's nothing but blank after that.

"Dammit! Okay... okay, let me think... Uh..." Okay, how did that happen in the first place? There's got to be a trigger for it or something... what was I doing then?

Looking around, I spotted a discarded frame on the floor. The picture! Of course! Quickly picking it up, I give it another look over. "... Nothing" I growl in frustration as nothing happens. No new flashes of any sort.

Who was that girl I was chasing? And why do I really want to reach out to her?

I need answers.

* * *

><p><strong>House of Miere - Shirou's POV<strong>

"Shirou-san, what a pleasant surprise. To what do I owe this visit?" Hieda no Akyuu greeted me.

Under her friendly face, I fidgeted nervously. "Why do you assume I need anything? Maybe I'm just here for a friendly visit?"

"Perhaps so, but since I was told that you were standing in front of my house for many minutes before coming in, so I'm inclined to believe otherwise" She stop talking for a second as to let a servant girl place a tray of snack and tea between us. Waiting until the girl leave, she then pours some tea to a cup and handed it to me. "So how can I help you?"

"Um..." My throat suddenly felt dry so I take the offered tea and downed the whole thing in one gulp. "You see... I want to know about the Scarlet Devil Mansion"

At my request, Akyuu-san paused with her tea cup barely touching her mouth. Lowering her cup, she looks at me square in the eye. "May I ask why?"

"Well you see..." I told her about my missing memory and the headache from earlier, then explaining my attempt to rediscover the lost memory.

Akyuu-san takes my explanation in strides, rarely interrupting me to ask questions. And if she does ask, it's always meaningful questions, nothing that suggests that she's not interested in the situation. When I finished with the explanation, she nodded slowly. "I can see why you're troubled by this, but why did you come to me? Surely there are others who can better help you figure this out"

That is a true. It did come to mind that there are others who can help me aside from Akyuu-san. But among those, there are none who would actually want to help me. Back in the mansion, when I asked Sakuya about what happened, she told me that she's unable to help me since Remilia has ordered everyone to not divulge the events that transpire last night. Because of that, I assume asking around the whole mansion would be a dead end.

Reimu was there with me last night, so surely she at the very least have an idea of what happened. But realistically speaking, if I asked her about this, there is a good chance that she would've just given me a scornful look before hitting me with a solid danmaku bullet.

With the mansion and shrine out of the picture, that left me with only two acquaintances that I could reach; Akyuu-san or Keine, who both lives in the village. One of the two would most probably leave me seeing stars if I asked her, so I went to the one less inclined to head butt people.

"Actually you're the only one that can help me with this"

"Is that so? But how can I help? I doubt my records will be of much use in this situation"

"About that..." I showed her the picture I found.

She curiously looks it over. "What is this? A portrait?"

"It's a picture of my old home"

"Oh, it's very well done isn't it? Much cleaner than the picture the tengu takes" She commented. "So how is...?" She paused as her eyes narrowed at the picture. Turning the frame towards me, she pointed the only non-Japanese in the picture. "This girl, who is she?" She asked.

"That's Suzuna. She's one of the kids I used to take care of"

Taking in my answer, Akyuu-san looks at the picture one more time. Glancing up at me, she then stands up. "Please wait a moment"

Akyuu-san left for a few minutes before coming back with a small scroll with her. Sitting down beside me, she unfurled the scroll in front of us. "Sister of the Devil, Flandre Scarlet" She then places the picture I brought next to an ink painting of this Flandre. "The resemblance between her and this girl in the portrait is uncanny; if one does not know any better they would've confused the two very easily"

"Yeah... she really does looks like Suzuna..."

The similarity is very creepy; it's like looking at identical twins. But that's where the similarities end. While my Suzuna is a very quiet and gentle girl, Flandre is... nothing like her.

According to the chronicle, this Flandre is a very dangerous vampire. Possessing the absolute ability of destruction, she can destroy everything and anything with little effort. Getting close to her would be very unwise.

But, she looks so much like Suzuna... Can I really turn a blind eye on her?

As my mind tries to wrap itself around the situation, I heard Akyuu-san calling me. "Shirou-san"

"Hm?"

"I'm aware that it is not my place to tell you what to do, but I hope that you'd think things through before taking any action"

"... Am I that transparent or something?"

"Kind of, yes"

"Heh... Thanks for the concern, but I'll be fine. I know how to take care of myself"

* * *

><p><strong>Misty Lake Lakeside – Shirou POV<strong>

It was past noon, the sun is already trekking down.

Having excused myself from the Hieda manor, I roamed the village aimlessly before I settled to go to the Misty Lake. I was hoping the chilly air here would help me think, but it didn't really help that much.

Picking up a pebble on the lake side, I throw it as hard as I can into the mist. The small pebble disappears out of sight as it is swallowed by the mist and then the water. Picking up another pebble, I threw it into the lake as well. I watched it disappear into the lake as well. "Haaah..." Sighing heavily, I look at the picture I'm holding on to.

I've been thinking about it for a while but I still can't decide on what to do.

This Flandre isn't exactly a healthy reminder of home. She is destruction incarnate if I read the chronicle right. Having her around is probably the same as inviting disaster to my life. But she looks so much like Suzuna... Because of that, a part of me wants to keep her close.

It's not that I wanted to replace Suzuna and the others, but having someone around who reminds me of home would be nice.

I absentmindedly pick up another pebble from the lakeside and throw it as hard as I can to the lake. Watching it flew disappear behind the mist, I expects to hear a splash noise to follow.

"Ow!" Instead of the sound of water, I heard a pained yell.

Following that, I got enough time to back up a few steps before a small girl flew out from the misty lake. Light blue hair, small blue dress, and a pair of icy wings on her back, this familiar ice fairy wildly looks around before her eyes landed on me. Pointing her finger directly at me, she called out to me. "You! You're the one that hit me right?"

Marisa once told me about this fairy. According to her, this fairy is a self proclaimed strongest of Gensokyo. To prove this completely false fact, she likes to challenge any and all that crosses her.

Chances of her attacking me are very high right now. I might be able to handle this fairy, but I'm just not in the mood for this. Let's see if I can exploit the weakness that Marisa told me; she's an idiot.

Okay, how to do this...

"Are you sure that was me? With all this mist I can't really see anything and I'm guessing neither do you"

"Well, no, I didn't see it either. But it got to be you"

"But why me? As you can see, I'm just a normal human. What can I possibly do to hurt you?"

"Um... I dunno, maybe you can throw rocks at me?"

Ouch, that one strikes close to the truth. I need to shift the subject. "So you're saying someone like you can get hurt from small rocks?"

"N-no. Of course not. I'm the strongest, nothing can hurt me"

Heh, I did not expect that reply. She really is an idiot of the highest calibre.

"Then if you're not hurt. There's no need to start anything right?"

"I guess?"

"Okay! Bye-bye then!"

"Huh? Uh... bye? But..."

Holding a poker face as best I can, I slowly backed away from the fairy. Looks like I'm in the clear. I kind of feel bad about this but whatever works.

Or it looked like it works until...

"Gaaah! This is too confusing!"

That's the only warning I got before something hard hit me hard. Stumbling forward in surprise, I look back just in time to see another swarm of bullets coming at me. The light blue bullets flew straight so it should be easy to evade, but then before my eyes, each bullet condensed into a large ice cube.

That would have made it even easier to dodge, if it did not then burst into dozens of ice shards.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow!" I turned my body around and covered my head, but it still hurt quite a bit.

The ice storm lasted for a minute at least before it died down. Then I lowered my guard as I turn around, the final attack nailed me right in the head. "Gah! The hell!?" I cursed loudly. My head is throbbing from getting hit by a chunk of ice the size of my fist.

"You were...! I mean...! Ugh, my head hurts. I'm just gonna beat you up now and figure it out later" With that said, the ice fairy let loose another ice bullet storm.

* * *

><p><strong>The Gate to Scarlet Devil Mansion – 3rd POV<strong>

A distance away, on the other side of the Misty Lake, spectators to the one sided danmaku have gathered to watch.

"Uwaaah... He's losing to the ice fairy... This is just sad" A certain black-white magician commented while sitting on the tall gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion for a better view. "Hey, your student is getting beaten up there; don't you have something to say as the master?"

"Ugh..." Mei-Ling crawled up from the hole she was buried in courtesy of a well placed **Love Sign: Master Spark**. Still unable to stand after taking the direct hit, the gatekeeper just laid sprawled on the ground. "I admit that he's doing poorly, but let me stress out the fact that we're not in a master-student relationship" She retorted to the grinning magician.

"Why not? I've seen you two go at it at least a few times a week. Since he's the beginner, won't that make you the master?"

"No way. I can't be his master since I'm not teaching him anything"

"You don't?" The magician sounded surprised. "How come?"

"There's nothing to teach him really. Sloppy as he is, he already got a strong fighting spirit in inside him. All he needs is practice with his spell cards, that's all.

"So you let him practice it on you? That's very kind of you, color me impressed" The magician smirked teasingly. "So, do you think he got any chance on beating that fairy?"

The gatekeeper shrugged at the question. "Isn't it obvious? Of course he'll win"

* * *

><p><strong>Back to where the action at – Shiro POV<strong>

A spring blizzard. That's the situation I'm currently in. The fairy's bullets came like a rain storm and there's nowhere for me to hide or run to.

Getting tired of being pummelled by the ice bullets, I finally throw my own bullets at the ice fairy. Caught off guard by the sudden assault, the fairy stops attacking as she dodge and weave through my bullets.

"Hey! How did you do that!? Humans not supposed to fight back" She loudly complained.

I ignore her protest. Instead, with her bullets coming to a halt, I use the chance to use my own spell card, one that is exclusively used only for a danmaku; the one that copies other people's spell card.

"**Shattered boundary: The ever changing illusion of reality"**

The spell card flashes brightly as I felt a surge of power running through me. Taking a deep breath, I let myself relax for a few seconds as I sort through the changes I've just underwent.

When I first use this card against Marisa weeks ago, I was just grasping straws on what it does. But that was in the past. After many-many arduous matches with Meiling I've discovered an interesting fact about this particular spell card; it teaches me how to use fight with it. It's a weird description, but that's how I feel whenever I use it nowadays. Similar to how I communicate with my ghost half, it'll tell me that the knowledge to use the power of another being has been imparted within me. So all I have to do is find it.

It's not easy to recall something that does not exist in my head. In this instance for example, my head is buzzing from the knowledge that I know about minus shift temperatures and its application around a simple magical array while I know for a fact that I have no idea what those are about.

It's very complicated. But whatever works.

So, now that I'm armed with this patchwork understanding, I raised my hand toward the fairy and concentrate on the flow of magic around me. As I do so, tin strands of blue energy starts to gather at my palm and before long I'm now holding a swirling blue energy ball in my hand. **"Forged Sign: Minus K" **Echoing the name of the original spell card, I let loose my attack.

The bullet in my hand shoots out a pair of bullets of the same coloration. The pair then burst into another pair of bullets. Then another, and another, even more bullets, now in the dozens, and it keep on going!

There are at least a hundred bullets that reach the ice fairy. "Hey what the...!" And then the fairy is swallowed by the number of bullets. I lost sight of her quickly amidst the chaos and not long after I heard something splashing down to the water.

I let the bullets keeps going for another second before cutting it off. Reducing the flow of energy to my hand, the original bullet in my hand slowly dims out. I then burst it by closing my fist on it. As soon as I do that, all the bullets I shot out instantly freeze in the spot, turning into many ice cubes and raining down to the lake.

"Huh... cool..." No pun intended, but that just now was indeed pretty cool. This is the first time that I've do this to someone beside Mei-Ling, so there's a no small sense of satisfaction here. Of course I might have overdone it a bit, but oh well.

Not bad for my first victory.

Anyway, as there's no sign of the ice fairy anymore, I pocketed the spell card and back up a bit from the lake just in case something wanted to attack me again.

*Crack*

I stop walking as I hear the sound of glass cracking underneath me.

Looking down, tons of mixed feelings run through me as I found the picture of the orphanage underneath my foot. I completely forgotten about it during the match so I must've dropped it and now I just stepped on it.

"Aw man..." Some glass shards have pierced the picture, so it's a bit torn. Dammit!

I can fix this with some glue, but it's just disheartening to see memory of home in such a sad shape. I must be more careful in the future. Since it is something that I cherish, I wanted to have it around me always. The day I turn away from it would be the day I stop being me.

...

Keep it close to me huh... should I treat the other memory close as well?

I turn my gaze to the looming mansion a small distance away. "Grrh... if this is some trick of the universe to make me go back to the Scarlet Devil Mansion, couldn't they've done it in a nicer way... Fine then. Whatever happens, happens"

Walking away from the village, I head back to the mansion.

* * *

><p><strong>The Gate of the Scarlet Devil Mansion – Shirou POV<strong>

Arriving at the gate of the mansion, I was greeted by two familiar faces.

Mei-Ling looks satisfied as she nods her head. "Impressive work"

Marisa on the other hand is much more vocal as well as active. "Way to go Shirou!" She gave me a hard slap on the back as a job well done. Apparently the two were watching my encounter with the ice fairy from here.

"Thanks, I guess?" I confusedly replied.

"Granted, if you lose to that fairy, then its shame on you, but since you end up winning, it's all good" The magician then flicked her hand over my hair. "Liking the image change too"

"Image... change...?" unsure on what she's talking about, I lightly run a hand on my hair. To my surprise and annoyance, I found a number of sharp pointy hard tips on my head. "My hair got iced? Give me break..."

"Not exactly... hey gatekeeper, you got a mirror on you?"

"... I want it back" Mei-Ling said as she handed a small compact mirror to the magician.

"What would I use a mirror for? Anyway, take a look here" Marisa holds the mirror in front of me.

Looking at the reflected images, I can't help to groan. "...Seriously?" My black hair was dyed light blue all of a sudden. Where it was usually unkempt and wild, now it's spiked back and pointy in the end. Heck, some of the tips glisten under the setting sun. Touching the frozen tips I find it cold and smooth, like ice. "Hopefully it's not permanent..."

"So Shirou, what brings you back here? After you left so hastily this morning I was so sure that you wouldn't came by for a while" Asked Mei-Ling.

"... There's someone I wanted to meet"

"Oh? Who is it?" Marisa looks interested. "Is it Sakuya? Did you get smitten by the maid with the cool beauty? Or maybe Patchouli? The quiet bookworm type? Oh, don't tell me it's Remilia? Why Shirou, I don't know you like them that small"

"Honestly Marisa, can you be quiet for a bit, I'm not in the mood..." I palmed my face in annoyance. "But no, I'm not here to see them"

"Oh? Then Koakuma?"

I shake my head.

"One of the fairy maids?"

I shake my head once again.

"China here?"

"Hey!"

"Seriously Marisa..." I just shake my head.

"Then who? The only one left that I haven't mention is..." Marisa suddenly clamped down as she realizes the only remaining Scarlet Devil resident she has yet to mention. For the first time since I've met her, she looks flabbergasted.

Next to her, Mei-Ling also share similar expression.

Seeing these two usually vocal persons clamped up like this is just unnatural. This little sister of theirs' must not get many visitors. "You two are such great moral support you know..." I muttered. "So yes, I want to meet the little sister. May I please come in?"

* * *

><p><strong>The Guest Hall of the Scarlet Devil mansion – Shirou POV<strong>

The chain of command in this mansion was made very clear to me. Hearing my unusual request, a stunned Mei-Ling passes me toward the head maid, who then consults with the magician on the proper course of action. From there, I was then passed to the recently awakened mistress of the mansion.

So now, for the second day in a row, I am face to face with the Scarlet Devil.

Remilia scrutinizes me from top to bottom. Under the eyes of this night predator I just stayed very-very still. "I'm surprised" She told me. "For you to have a sister with the same appearance as mine, I most certainly wasn't expecting this"

"Yes, uh... it certainly is surprising" I trailed off. Now that there's something I wanted, the oppressive pressure I'm getting seemed to have multiplied. Just by being stared down by the vampire makes me shiver in cold sweat.

"So for what reason you wanted to see my sister?"

"... I'm unsure myself. But I think I can get some answer for myself if I can talk to her"

"Oh? That's a very peculiar reasoning. How far would you go to get this answer?"

"If you're trying to get something out of this, then sorry, but I'm not that desperate" I shot down her suggestive remark. No way in hell I'm letting her get a hold on me. That'll be making deals with the devil, and I already got plenty of headaches in my life.

"What a shame... yet you still wanted to talk to my sister?"

"Yes please"

"Hm..." The clock ticks in the background while the vampire thinks to herself. I waited in complete silence for dozen of ticking sound before Remilia decides. "Sakuya, get Flandre and bring her here"

The maid who's been silently watching from beside her mistress nodded. "As you wish Milady" Giving me a quick look, she then turn around and leave the hall.

With the maid gone, I am now alone in the room with the vampire. My nerve is seriously being stretched here. She's the least person I can handle ever here in Gensokyo. Not that she's difficult to get along with; it's just hard to do so since left quite an impression when we first met.

So while we wait for the maid to return, I keep my eyes on the ground, scared of what Remilia might do if our eyes met.

Minutes passes as the clock ticks away in the quiet room. After uncountable ticks, the door opens and Sakuya came back. Tagging along with her is the little sister I've been hearing about. Flandre is sleepily rubbing her eyes as she walked in, but she soon snaps awake when she saw me.

"Flandre, this human wanted to talk to you. Kindly respond to him if you will"

"But onee-chan, didn't I break him yesterday?" The little sister said the most dangerous thing with such innocence. Akyuu-san's chronicle describes her 'breaking' as total destruction! Just what the hell happened yesterday?!

I suddenly felt waves of gratitude to the magician who makes me forget of the 'breaking'. It probably was very painful.

"That was water under the bridge, just forget about it" And the older sister completely ignores it! An important detail, concerning life and death, and she just swept it under the rug! As expected of a vampire! "Come sit with me" Remilia patted the seat next to her.

At the motion, Flandre left Sakuya's side. Unsurely keeping her eyes on me, she makes her way to us and sat next to Remilia.

"..."

"..."

No one said anything. It seemed like a good idea at the start, but now that I'm face to face with the girl, I realize just how unprepared I am to handle the situation. Namely I didn't really know what to say. There are many things I can say to be honest, but none seemed appropriate for the situation, or safe.

Confused as I am, there's not much time for me to think as Remilia makes her annoyances known. "Well? Say something. Please don't make this a waste of my time"

"Um... Hi?" I awkwardly wave to the smaller vampire.

"Hi" She returned the gesture.

"Flandre is it? I'm sorry for not remembering. Did we get properly introduced last time we met?

The little sister tilted her head questioningly. "You told me to call you Shirou and that's it. How did you know my name? And why did you forget already?"

"I forget because that magician from the library makes me forget. After that I asked around about you using the picture of my sister"

"Picture? Can I see it?"

"Yeah, sure" I stand up a bit to get the picture that is in my pocket. The frame has all but broken after I stepped on it, so I have discarded it and carry the picture myself. Taking it out from my pocket, I unfurled it and handed it to her. Or I was trying to give it to her when the maid snatched the picture from my stretched hand.

"To avoid the repetition of yesterday's incident, allow me to hand this to the young mistress" Is what she said as an explanation before she promptly handed it to her mistresses.

The two vampires look at the picture.

"Look Onee-chan, that's me"

"That wasn't you Flan, that is just a human with similar appearance to you" Remilia corrected her. "I must say, when you told me Flan looks like your sister I did not expect such resemblance"

"Yeah, others says the same thing as well"

"Can you tell me about this person? What's she like?" Flandre curiously asked.

"Of course, I'll tell you if you wanted to know. Where do I start... hm...? Suzuna, that's my sister's name, we first met when—"

* * *

><p><strong>Great Library of the Scarlet Devil Mansion – 3rd POV<strong>

Patchouli watched from the corner of her eyes as Remilia sits down on her usual seat at her library. Splitting her attention to the book she's reading, the magician shifted to address the vampire. "I understand that the boy came to visit the mansion once again"

"He did. Flandre and Sakuya are entertaining him right now"

"I see..." With Sakuya watching over the two, the chances of the same incident happening again is but close to nil. So that's not a problem. The bigger question would be why Remi left those three by themself. From what she understands, the vampire stays in the early part of the meeting before questioningly excuses herself. "So what are you doing here? And not with them?"

"Is it wrong for me to enjoy your pleasant company?"

"It's wrong if you're just using it as an excuse. What's your angle here? What are you trying to achieve?"

"Nothing. I'm just letting the human bond with my sister. My presence there would just hinder the process"

"Bond with her? That's an interesting choice of words"

"Isn't it? I found it quite interesting as well"

"How so?"

"From where I look at it, there's this deep sense of obligation that he's showing to Flan. So right now he's all but smile and affection to h"

"And you're encouraging this misdirected affection because...?" Though she already got an idea of where Remi is going with this, she wanted to hear it from the vampire's own mouth.

"Earlier the boy said he doesn't want to owe me any favours. Well right now he's knotting himself to this mansion without me even doing anything. Hah, this is so much more than simple favours. I've pretty much got him wrapped around my fingers now"

"I expected something like that. Just try to not push it too far since his life does hangs in the balance every time he's around her"

"I know that. I've instructed Sakuya to not allow any contact between them and even gave them a strict time limit of one hour before he has to go. That's enough right?"

"That remains to be seen..."

* * *

><p><strong>The Gate to Scarlet Devil Mansion – Shirou POV<strong>

The sky is already dark by the time I leave the mansion.

"All right then, I'll be going"

Mei-Ling nodded with her hand crossed on her chest. "Have a safe journey home. Though I'm sure you can handle yourself just fine if needed"

"Of course. I didn't let myself get smacked around by you and gain nothing"

"You let me smack you around?"

"Okay, so maybe you really did kick my ass. Happy?" I groaned in annoyance. "Seriously, can't a guy try to keep his pride here?"

"Visit again soon okay?"

I turn my eyes on the person who insisted on seeing me off even though the maid said otherwise. "Sure. I'll came by again the next time I got some free time"

Flandre beamed at my word. "I'll be waiting then"

Seeing that expression on her face, I'm tempted to put my hand on her head like I usually do to the kids back home. But then I saw Sakuya shaking her head no beside her so my hand stilled beside me.

"Flandre-sama, it's near dinner time. Could you please go back into the mansion?"

"Okay. Bye-bye Shirou" The little vampire waved her hand at me before she bounces back to the mansion. It really brings a smile to my face to see the skips in her steps.

It's not until she disappear through the mansion's door before someone spoke up again. "... It's been a while since I saw Flandre-sama in such a good mood" Mei-Ling commented.

"That's true. It has been quite some time" Sakuya said with a gentle smile. "This might be asking a lot, but please keep being nice to the young mistress"

"I intend to. Though it'd be easier if her touch didn't kill me" I bitterly replied. At the vampire's permission, the maid has explained about what happened yesterday night. I was sure that my face turns white when she makes it clear how close to death I was. But then one look at Fladre's guilty face and the fear quickly fades away.

At my admission, the maid and gatekeeper gave me a sympathetic look. "Shirou-san..."

"Don't worry. Being dead is scary, but I really like Flandre; it would take a lot more than a death threat to push me away from her" I tried to reassure them and myself that it'll be okay.

"Uh-huh... Well, here comes someone who no doubt will try to convince you otherwise" The maid said while looking at somewhere far behind me.

"What do you—"

*Thwack!

* * *

><p><strong>The Gate to Scarlet Devil Mansion – 3rd POV<strong>

Rocketing past the gatekeeper's senses, a fast straight ball flew through the air and hits Shirou on the back of his head. The sound of impact echoed through the area as the boy falls forward to the hand of the surprised gatekeeper.

"W-what?"

"My, it looks like his caretakers has arrived"

True to the maid's words, the perpetrator of the attack soon landed near them followed closely by the black-white magician.

"Nice shot. You nailed him good" The black-white commented only to be given the evil eye by the shrine maiden.

"Shut up. I'm not through with him yet. After all that headaches from yesterday and he still came here. And worse, he specifically wanted to meet her again!? Doesn't this guy ever learn? I'm gonna-"

"Hey Reimu, I don't think he's in any shape to listen to you right now"

"Huh? Uh..." The shrine maiden becomes flustered as she finally notices the boy's current state.

"Hellooo, Shirou-saaaan. Wake uuuup" Meiling roughly shakes the barely conscious boy to no avail.

"Munyaaa... But I don't wanna eat carrots..."

Seeing the boy's state, combined with the disapproving look from the maid and the teasing glances from the magician, the shrine maiden visibly deflated as her anger subsides. "Ugh. Fine, I'll let him go with that for now. But I'll be sure to beat the rest into that thick head of his once he wakes up"

Hearing the shrine maiden's rambling, Marisa and Sakuya just sighed while shaking their head

"Don't die on me Shirou-saaaan!"

"Fuee..."

* * *

><p><strong>Day 41-End<strong>

**Well, that's another chapter done. Sorry if it's just mediocre or crap. And I really apologize for the short danmaku scene. I'll make a longer one for his next one.**

**Anyway, as usual, please leave a review. If any of you have any gripes with the chapter, just tell me in the review and I'll fix it asap.**


	15. Day 57: Early Summer Melancholy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**Okay... this one might be a bit heavy. But things happens, and as I am easily influenced with events around me, this chapter is written before I even realize where I'm going with it. Some tweaks and rewrites later, this is what it ended up as.**

**NOTE: I'm trying a different approach to my writing style. Read it and comment on it in the review ok? If you like it this way better then I'll stick to this style. The first scene is in 1st POV while the rest is written completely in 3rd POV.**

**Now without further ado, here's the newest chapter.**

**Day 40: Early Summer Melancholy**

* * *

><p><strong>The Human Village-Shirou's POV<strong>

**02:49 PM**

The sound of cicadas, humid temperature, and blazing, sunny days; its official, summer has begun.

In a typical early summer day, the weather is being all chaotic, between humid hot air and sudden rainfall. The second one caught me unprepared as I was coming home from visiting Flandre last night. Already halfway back, and not wanting to impose on the vampire any longer, I forced myself to brave the downpour, only to be ambushed by the ice fairy.

The ambush did little good for the ice fairy as I shot her down as always, but unfortunately I did not come out of that one unscathed.

"Achooo!"

Ugh, I feel sluggish. I'm shivering and sweating at the same time and my head is spinning. Someone must've put a curse on me... that or I've caught a cold...

As I lay on my futon, I distinctly heard someone knocking on my door before the door opened.

"Shirou-nii, I'm back" One of the village children, Hayate called out. He and his sister came by earlier to drag me out to play, but in my bedridden condition I could barely greet them. I remember shooing them away so they won't catch my cold, so what is he doing back here again?

Then I saw the person following behind him.

"Good afternoon Shirou-san" Reisen greeted me. As she walks in, I notice an overly large wooden box strapped behind her back.

"... Reisen?"

"Yes. It's been a while. I would ask how you are doing, but it doesn't seem necessary right now"

"Ahaha-hack cough" My attempt to laugh turns into a fit of dry coughs.

"Nee-san, can you cure him?" Hayate asked the rabbit.

"He'll be fine. It looks to be just a mild fever, nothing to be concerned about" She calmly replied to the boy. "Though just to be sure, I'll have you take some medicine, okay Shirou-san?" While saying that, Reisen crouched down to put down the wooden box on her back.

"Uu..."

"Come now. You don't want to be a bad example to the children now do you?" She nodded her head toward the door.

Looking at that direction, I saw Hayate standing there along with his sister Kasumi who's peeking in from the outside.

... Dammit.

A few minutes later I'm suppressing the urge to vomit because of the bitter powdery medicine that I just swallowed. Yuck! Just... Yuck!

"There we go. Wasn't so now hard was it?" Reisen said as she offered some water.

"No comment" I grumbled as I accepted the drink. Downing the cup in one big gulp, I can't help but blanch at the way the bitterness seems to have gotten worse.

And then things went even more downhill from there.

"Whoa..." The room suddenly start spinning. Unable to stay seated upright, I sway left and right before crumpling to my side. Feeling as weak as a newborn, I just lay there on the cool floor.

"S-Shirou-san!" There are hurried footsteps before a pair of hands moves me from my spot on the ground.

I feel my body get shifted around before being put under a warm blanket.

"Auu... what did you make me drink?"

"Eh? It's just cold medicine. That's weird; it's not supposed to have any side effects on humans"

"No... Not that... the water... where did you...?"

"The water? I got it from that sealed jar over there since it looks the freshest"

"Sealed jar?" Trying to focus the best I can through the pounding headache, I force my head to turn aside so I can see the jar the rabbit was talking about. "... That's not water. That's Suika's underground sake"

"Oh? Oh..."

* * *

><p><strong>Northern Part of the Human Village<strong>

**06:02 PM**

Time flew and the sun is beginning to descend. Hours has passed since the lunar rabbit left the boy in the care of the children and even now she has yet to stop bemoaning her mistake, her ears drooping as if to mirror how low she is feeling. "Haaah... that was such a blunder on my part. Master will be so disappointed in me when she hears about this" Reisen groaned as she browses through her medicine box.

Hieda no Akyuu chuckles as she observes the rabbit's drooping ears that mirrored her her disappointment. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Underground sake is famous for being clear and odourless while retaining its strong kick. There are many cases where it got mixed up with water"

"Then how does the underground dweller differentiate their sake from water?"

"They don't"

"Should've known... Anyway, here's your usual medicine" The rabbit handed a small pouch of powdered medication to the chronicler.

Weighing the pouch on her hand, Hieda no Akyuu frowned. "This is less than the usual"

"Yes. Master said it's getting less effective as time passes. An increased dosage would harm the body so she suggested that you only take a reduced amount to preserve what you've already gained"

"I see... And just how much have I gained?"

"A year or two at the most..."

Hearing the prognosis, the Ninth Child of Miare let out a tired sigh. "... That's actually longer than I expected" And at the same time shorter too. She has long accepted this fact about her life, but talking about her remaining time is getting harder and harder as the time passes.

"If you like, maybe you could have master examine you more thoroughly. Perhaps there's something she can do about-"

"No, it's fine. I don't think there is much option left, even for her. The precious time I've gained is a plenty, and I'm very grateful for that" She said, carefully pocketing the medicine in her bag.

"... Are you sure"

"It's fine, really. Anyway, am I your last house visit for the day?"

"I believe so. The Nishima's and Tohru's already got their medicine, and Sochika-san is already healed" Reisen mumbles a few more names over the top of her head before she nodded. "Yeah, that's everyone on the list master gave me"

"Are you sure? I notice you did not mention the Kobayashi's. Last I heard, Hisana-san, the elder of the family is bed ridden with illness"

"Ah... you see..." The rabbit trailed off before looking around for eavesdroppers, her ears twitched as they went full alert. Satisfied that no one is listening in on their conversation, Reisen continues on with a solemn tone. "Last month on her scheduled check up, master discovered that her heart is starting to give out"

"Her heart!? You mean..."

Reisen sighed as she recalled the memory. When her master broke the news to the family, the men that escorted her to Eintei were all shocked, one even started wailing. But surprisingly, the elder woman who was just told that her time's running out just sat still without saying a word. Waiting until her family calmed down, she then gently declined the free treatment her master offered. "It's only a matter of time now..."

Hearing the grim news, Hieda no Akyuu sadly shakes her head. The girl let out a tired breath as she stares off into the sky. "Time does not wait for the living now does it?"

"Not unless you're that maid from the Scarlet mansion"

"True. But she's a special I case. And I do not envy her for it"

* * *

><p><strong>House of the Freelancer<strong>

**07:42 PM**

Night has fallen and the village is starting to settle down for the day.

Having made her visit to the soon to be departed along with another, Hieda no Akyuu makes a quick stop at a destination that is completely on the opposite way to her home. The other person with her doesn't mind taking this detour, so the two make their way to the east end of the village where a certain someone lives. Knocking on the door, she was met with a raspy voice telling her to come in.

Walking inside, she paused at the doorway when she finds the house owner lying half sprawled on the table.

"How are you feeling Shirou-san?"

The boy barely glances at her direction before he winces in pain and starts cradling his head. "Could've been worse" Is his curt reply.

The child of Miare quietly shakes her head before she moves aside to let the other person with her to enter the house as well.

"You look terrible" Keine voiced her observation. "Have you eaten anything yet? Did you take your medicine?"

"A bunch of kids came by earlier and one of them brought some porridge from his mother. Hayate and Suzuna was also here earlier and they refused to go home without seeing me take my medicine, so no choice on that one"

Hieda and Keine share a smile at that. It looks like quite a number of children in the village have really taken a liking to this boy. For such connections to be formed in mere months, it speaks well of the children's upbringing and the boy's character.

"Then you should rest now. What are you doing still up?"

"...I've been lying on my bed for most of the day, so I thought I should move my body a bit by doing some house cleaning"

Now that he mentions it, the house does looks recently cleaned. Everything is neat and tidy and there's a still wet mop next to the boy. It looks like he just finished cleaning when they came by.

"Sick people should stay in bed!" Keine instantly went into teacher mode and start scolding the sick boy.

Her concern is touching, but he just laughed it off. "It's fine. I wasn't feeling dizzy at all when I was working. The headache only comes back after I stop moving around" He said with a smile on his face followed by a twinge of furrowing eyebrows as another wave of headache assaults him. "With that said. I think I'm going out for some fresh air now"

Shirou tries to stand up only to fall back down again when Keine grabs his shoulder and pushed him back into the chair. "I don't like to repeat myself, but maybe you didn't hear me the first time; Sick people should stay in bed" She sternly told him.

"But really, I'm fine" Stubbornly insisting, Shirou stands up once again. Moving faster than a sickly person is expected; he dodges around Keine's reach and quickly moves away from her. "See, told you I'm fine. There's nothing to be worried about" Not giving Keine any time to react he bolts to the door.

But then, just before he reaches it, the door unexpectedly swung open. "Shirou-nii! We've got a problem!" A young boy around the age of 12 came rushing in.

With neither expecting the others to be rushing in or out, a collision is all but imminent.

"Uwaaah!"

"Ooof!"

... And that's exactly what happened.

Keine and Hieda both winced as Shirou got ploughed by the kids and falls flat to the ground .The fact that running into a kid half his size made him fall is evidence enough that his body is much weaker than he makes it to be. But then in a very contradictory move, he easily gets back up again and moves to help the kid who ran into him. "Hayate? Are you okay?"

The kid takes the offered hand and let him be pulled away from the ground. But as soon as he's standing upright again, the kid shrugged the helping hand away. "N-never mind about me. Kijima is—Geh! Keine-sensei!?" Noticing the teacher's presence in the room, the kid yelped before ducking behind cover.

The two males in the room instantly starts to sweat bullet as a stern looking Keine starts advancing toward the boy and his human shield.

"Geh you say? Hayate, you wouldn't happen to be doing something you're not supposed to, are you?" She asked the cowering boy.

"N-no. Of course not. I've been good. You believe me, right?"

Making a mental note to talk to his sister after class, Keine left the matter, for now. "What kind of a teacher am I if I don't have any trust toward my student? Now if you've done nothing wrong, stop hiding behind his back and tell us the reason why you so rudely barged in into someone's house like that"

"Yes sensei..." Reluctantly letting go of the boy's shirt, the kid slowly steps away from his cover and into Keine's line of sight. He instantly wishes he was back behind cover, but said cover has already distanced himself from the danger zone as soon as he was let go. Left with little protection, all the kid can do is avert his eyes to the floor as he starts talking. "Well uh... as I was saying earlier, Kijima doesn't seem to have come home yet"

A pang of worry instantly filled Keine's mind. "Are you sure? That doesn't seem like him"

Kobayashi Kijima is one of those kids who's the farthest from a trouble maker. Soft-spoken and well mannered, the kid is one of the model students in her current class. Him not being home after dark does sound a few alarms in her head.

"My sister and I were looking for him earlier but his mother said he hasn't come home since the afternoon"

"Hm..."

Seeing that the danger of blunt trauma damage has subsided, Shirou slowly came forward. Placing both his hand on the kid's shoulder, he gave him a reassuringly smile. "Okay, that may be a bad thing, but that's not reason enough to be panicking. Just take a deep breath and calm down, I'll go look for him. He can't be that far now right?"

"Shirou-san is right. Though it's already getting dark, the village is still a safe place. Surely nothing bad will happen to him" Hieda no Akyuu speak up to comfort the boy.

"But that's it! I don't think he's in the village right now!"

"..."

"..."

"... Sit down"

"Y-yes ma'am"

* * *

><p><strong>Fujiwara no Mokou's Home<strong>

**08:43 PM**

Fujiwara no Mokou is in a good mood.

Today has been a good day for her; no lost person needing to be rescued, no rabbits try to play tricks on her, and to top it all off, she left a charred Kaguya impaled to the ground. And now having cleaned herself of from the grime and blood from her fight, she eagerly awaits her visitor.

Keine should be arriving anytime now. Today they've planned to have dinner together and she's quite eager to spend some time with her. A bit overeager perhaps, as earlier in on the day she secretly went around the village to get her best friend's favourites.

So it's to be expected that when there's knocking on her door she all but jumped off her seat. Rushing to the door, she very nearly beamed in happiness when she saw Keine. But two things stopped her from letting that rare smile to grace her face; the first is the freelancer boy standing next to her, and the second is the concerned look on her friend's face.

"... Mokou, there's a problem in the village"

Like a fire doused with water, Fujiwara no Mokou's good mood instantly burns out.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bamboo Forest of the Lost <strong>

**09:02 PM**

Keine explains everything to her. Apparently one of the children from the village had gone missing. According to his friends, when they last saw him he was acting all weird and desperate as he asked them whether they saw the Eintei's rabbit that was supposed to make her rounds in the village today selling medicine.

When one of the kids told him that she has already left the village, the kid turned pale before running off. The other kids sans a few ignore this weird behaviour, but when the few concerned kids went to look for him, they quickly realized that they couldn't find him anywhere.

The whole village is then alerted, but no matter where they look, they were still unable to find him.

As the search becomes more desperate, the idea comes that perhaps the kid has left the village. He was looking for the Eintei rabbit earlier, so it's not impossible for him to be trying to head there. Of course, with the Bamboo Forest of the Lost blocking the road, chances are the kid is lost somewhere in there. And thus Keine came asking for her help. As someone who's familiar with the forest, there's no better person to go look for the missing boy.

Faced with the pleading eyes of her most cherished friend, Mokou instantly crumbles and agrees to take a look around.

That's why she's currently rushing around the forest, paying close attention to anything that's out of place as she look for the missing boy. She could just fly of course, but night has fallen so she might miss him if she searches from the sky.

That and...

"Guh!"

A loud smack from behind diverted her attention towards her tag along. Slowing down just a fraction, she glances back at the human that is following her. "If you can't keep up just go back to Keine" She shouted out before she increases her speed again.

"No way! I want to help too. Two sets of eyes are better than one after all"

She hear him reply back to her. Looks like getting smacked around by the twigs are not enough to dissuade him from following her. Really, what is Keine thinking for letting him go with her? She even asked her to let him 'copy' her.

He should be lucky that he's on a good term with Keine else she would've charred him to a crisp and left him to be eaten by some random youkai.

"Hey, uh... did I make you angry or anything?"

She nearly trips from hearing such a foolish question. Seriously, why does Keine have to befriend someone this stupid? Skidding to a halt, she turns around and face him. "Oh really? And what makes you think that?"

"Um... for a while now I've been getting this weird tingly feeling at the base of my spine. It's telling me that someone wishes to set me on fire"

Huh, so he sensed her killing intent. Either he's getting better at attuning himself to the flow of energy in his surroundings or she's leaking it a bit too much of it for even a non-sensitive human to sense it. The later is more likely than the former in her opinion. "Well congratulations. Your spine is right. Should I rip it out so I can congratulate it?"

"I- uh... I'm sorry?"

The boy cowers at her outburst. Seeing him being all submissive like that, Mokou felt her mouth twitching at the slightest, surprising even herself. Not wanting the boy to notice the grin that has infected her face, she silently turns around and starts moving again. "Just shut up and follow me"

"Lead on"

* * *

><p><strong>Fujiwara no Mokou's Home<strong>

**09:23 PM**

Having been left alone at Mokou's house, Keine restlessly paces around all over the place as she finds herself unable to calm down.

She should've been able to prevent such rash behaviour. Has she not told the children many times that they should never leave the village, so what happened for this child to blatantly disobey her? Surely there must be a good reason for this, but as his teacher, shouldn't she be able to prevent this from happening? Did she fail him somehow?

Feeling responsible for the current situation, Keine really wishes that she could help with the search. Unfortunately for her, the idea is completely shot down by Mokou, and for good reason too. There's a thick cloud hanging over the night sky, and the moon is completely blocked by it. With the moon obscured, her ability is also severely hampered.

As Mokou nicely put it, in this situation she would be more of a burden than a help, which is why she all but ordered her to stay back at her place.

Her friend is right and all, but still...

"Haaaaaah..." She let out a long drawled out sigh. This kind of act is very unlike her, but right now she could care-less about keeping an appearance.

Oh how she hates staying behind. This helpless feeling must be the reason why Shirou was so adamant about helping out. Earlier he was being so persistent about helping out that she actually allowed him to come along. Now that she's the one being left behind, she can understand what he feels; that being unable to do anything is pathetic. For that reason she supported him when he asked to help Mokou with the search. Her immortal friend is clearly not pleased with the gesture, but in the end she gives in to the idea for even she knows that two pair of eyes is better than one. And then just to be safe, she also asks her to let him borrow her power. Mokou was very put off by that idea, but she begrudgingly let him do it since she's the one that asked.

One quick spell card later, the two soon disappeared into the forest. And so she finds herself alone, head filled with worry and self doubts. Gazing out at the cloudy sky, she sighed.

It'll be fine. Surely she can rely on those two. She fully trusts Mokou and while Shirou is still an enigma to her, he has proven himself in many different occasions.

All she can do now is hope that they'll find the child... before something else finds him.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bamboo Forest of the Lost <strong>

**09:58 PM**

A shadowed silhouette is flying through the forest. The lack of moonlight might be a nuisance to humans, but such a thing is of no concern to her for she is a creature of the night.

With strength beyond any humans, speed that few can achieve, senses as sharp as a steel blade, and the grace of a—

*Thwack!

She runs face first into a surprisingly sturdy bamboo.

Flapping her wings hard a few times, she manages to right herself up before she falls. "O-Ow!" She groaned while pressing onto the bumpy spot on her head.

As she tries to shake the dizziness away, she completely disregard one of the most fundamental law of physics, in which an object gains force equal to the force given. Applying this law to a bamboo tree which are sturdy yet able to sway with just the wind, the most obvious outcome would be that the tree would recoil back to her with the same amount of force that she ran into with.

And so...

*Thwack!

This time she did crash into the ground like a swatted bug.

"That damn brat...!" Mystia Lolerei growled as she picks herself up.

She spotted the kid when he left the village by himself. Curious about where he's going, and thinking that she's in luck for the easy prey, she followed him all the way to the bamboo forest. No sooner that they went in, she went ahead and revealed herself to the kid. The kid was instantly frightened by her appearance. Stumbling backward, the kid tripped and fell down as she closed in on him. That should've been the end of it, but then the kid threw a handful of dirt right into her eyes! By the time she could see again the kid had already ran off into the darkness.

She gave chase as soon as she got the dirt from her eyes, and that was more than an hour ago. Even now she's still chasing the little brat. If only tonight wasn't so dark, she would've caught the brat by now. But as it is...

Damn it! In a fit of anger, she punches the bamboo tree that she runs into, breaking it in half. She soon regretted it though as her hand starts throbbing in pain. It's to be expected since as a night sparrow, her physical ability is just slightly above a normal human after all. Punching a solid bamboo tree is really not a good idea.

"Ah!" A voice that is not hers yelped from the direction of the crashing bamboo tree.

... Or maybe it's not such a bad idea after all.

Turning her attention at the direction of the sound, Mystia can't help but to grin. Looks like her luck finally took a turn for the better. Taking a deep breath, she inhales as much air into her lungs. Then in one breath, she let it all out.

The quiet forest instantly became vibrant as a melodious tune dances in the air. Contrary of how soothing it sounded, this song has the ability to sow confusion and fear in the heart of humans.

Her song echoed through the forest for long arduous minutes before it ended and silence returns. But amidst this newfound silence, a quiet whimper can be heard.

Following the voice, Mystia easily found her prey. Cowering beneath the nearby bushes, the child barely registers her presence as his body shook from something that is not fear. Smiling at the child, she offers a hand to him. "Hey there, are you lost?" She asked nicely.

The child slowly looks up at her, his eyes completely dazed and unfocused. "N-no... I was... I was running...But... I want to help..." He mumbles weakly.

"I see. Come with me then. I'll take you to her" Not waiting for his response, her hands grabs hold of the bedazzled child and pulls him to her. No sooner his head rested on her, the kid drifted off into unconsciousness.

Mystia grinned in triumph. After all that chase the kid lead her, she finally caught him. Just in time for dinner too judging by her growling stomach. With her prey is in hand, the only question remain is whether she should start eating here or wait until she's safe in her lair.

She barely starts pondering on the answer when she felt a heatwave coming from her left. Reacting as any birds would do in a fiery situation; she quickly takes to the sky with her prey in her hand, only to stop dead in her track as she suddenly found herself standing in the middle of a flaming pillar.

Panicking, Mystia quickly tries to land. As soon as she touches the ground she tucked her wings back. Powerless at the situation, all she can do now is keep her feathers away from the flames while hoping for the fire to go away soon.

The fire die down not long after, not a moment too soon for her. But as the flames dissipates, the heat in the air is still present as the origin of these flames casually walks toward her, hands in her pocket.

"What do we have here, a stray bird at this side of the forests? You're certainly far from your nest aren't you?" She casually said to her.

"Y-you! What was that all about!? If those flames were any hotter I would've been cooked alive!"

"That's true isn't it? Now I usually like my chicken fully grilled or roasted. So why would I settle for medium rare?" The phoenix whimsically said before her expression hardened. "Hand me the kid and I promise that I won't over cook you" As the threat is delivered, the air heats up even more as if to seal the deal.

"N-no way. I let him go and you'll burn me anyway. No deal!" Under the threatening presence of the immortal phoenix, all Mystia can do is hide herself behind her catch. Surely she won't burn him too right?

As she racks her brain for a getaway plan, she completely missed the rustling bushes behind her.

* * *

><p><strong>The Bamboo Forest of the Lost <strong>

**10:05 PM**

Mokou inwardly frowned as the youkai holds onto the kid even tighter. Cornered as she is, the youkai still hasn't given up on escaping with the kid on tow. This is troublesome. The kid won't be safe until she can get him away from her, but since the youkai is using him as a human shield, her flame won't be of much help here.

As much as she hates it, looks like she'll have to trust him for this. All she can do now is create an opening for him to grab the kid. Problem is the night sparrow is latching onto the kid like a lifeline... which is probably not far from the truth.

Testing the water, she takes one step toward the night sparrow... only for the youkai to back away three steps, toward the unassuming bush behind her.

Huh, this could actually be easier than she thought.

"S-Stay back!"

She takes another step... and the youkai backs off another two steps.

"I said stay back! Or else I'll... um..."

"You're going to do what? Sing a song for me? For your information that trick won't work on me" She's not 100% sure about that, but this youkai doesn't need to know that. With that said, she takes two steps toward the youkai.

The youkai backed away even more, and she stops right next to a completely still bush, exactly where she wanted her to be.

She barely let the triumphant grin to spread on her face when a figure burst out of the bushes and instantly grab the youkai in the face. Using the element of surprise to the fullest, he quickly takes hold of the kid with his free arm before throwing the youkai by the hold on her face.

The night sparrow went flying from his hand and crashed straight into a bamboo thicket where it then collapses and burries her under.

"That's for making me hide under a damn bush! ... And for trying to eat the kid too!" He berates the downed youkai as he shakes off the leaves and twigs from his hair.

"Well done..." Mokou quietly mutters her approval as she reignites her flames. Now that the kid is out of danger, she doesn't have to hold back anymore. Creating a small fireball in her hand, she tosses the flaming orb right at the thicket that the night sparrow is buried under.

The thicket quickly catches on fire, burning the sticks, leafs, and feathers...

"GYAAA!"

The night sparrow burst out of the burning thicket, flying haphazardly into one bamboo tree after another in panicked and futile effort to put out the flames on her. It's not until she crashed to the ground and start rolling in the dirt does the fire gone out.

"Y-you...! How dare you! If I got away just a few seconds later it would've dangerous!"

"I know... shame it wasn't"

"Why you...! I ought to—gah!"

A single pinkish bullet streaked through the night and nailed the night sparrow right in the head.

"I was wondering what the disturbance's all about, but I never expected this kind of gathering" The shooter of the bullet steps out of the shadow, eyes glowing red, her long ears is straight up tense for any sound as she surveys the scene. "Good afternoon Shirou-san. Nice to see you're back on your feet"

"Reisen? What are you doing here?"

"We heard echoes of sparrow as we were having dinner. The princess found it to be annoying, so she told me to go out and silence it..." Not missing a beat she pointed at the sparrow with her index finger. As if her hand is a gun, she cocked the trigger and let loose three bullets in rapid succession. "... By any means necessary"

The sparrow is reeling from being pelted by the bullets but soon righted herself again. Hovering near the canopy of the bamboo trees, she starts screeching. "What's with all this bullying?! It's so unfair! What right do you have to stop me from having even a bite! I'm telling on you! You hear me! I'm—eek!" She yelped in fear when a blazing wave flew near her. To everyone's surprise, the origin of this fiery attack is not the phoenix, but the human next to her.

Holding a sword wreathed in flames, Shirou sheepishly rubs his head at the attention. "Sorry about that. I'm not very good at this." Supporting his words, his sword pulsed once and twice as it starts spewing out flames randomly. "Let's see if I can do it better this time... preferably before I burn the entire forest"

"Uwaaah! I'll remember this!" With that final screech, the night sparrow flies away. A good move on her part, for hell's furnace would be an icy wonderland before she can win against these gathered oppositions.

Seeing the night sparrow fleeing, the human of the group let out a tired sigh. "So... how do I turn this thing off...?" He trailed as he randomly gives his sword a few swings as if hoping it would put the fire out.

"...Idiot" Mokou shakes her head. With a snap of her finger, the flame on the sword along with the other stay fire nearby instantly went out.

"T-thanks..."

"Whatever. Check on the kid"

"Yeah, on it"

Sheathing the surprisingly cold blade, Shirou turns his attention to the unconscious kid they were trying to find in the first place. It didn't take more than a few second before he confusedly looks around at the other two, looking lost on what to do.

"Allow me" Reisen steps in to replace the less medical certified boy. With more experienced hands, the rabbit carefully examined the child.

A minute or two passed before she finishes with the diagnosis. "He's fine. I don't think there's any serious problem with him" She then takes out a small metal vial from her chest pocket. Corking the top open, she waves it around the child's nose.

The child soon wakes up after that, hacking and coughing as he weakly tries to get away from the smell.

"Kijima, you okay?" Shirou crouch down to help him.

"Huh... Wha...? Shirou-nii? What are you doing here...?" The child muttered weakly.

"What am I doing here? What are you doing here?! Everyone is worried sick!"

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't say that to me, say it to your parents, and Keine-sensei too"

"Yes..."

"And the other kids too, they've been looking for you the longest"

"Okay..."

"And... ugh...!" Shirou suddenly stops talking as he holds his head in pain. "... let's get you home okay?" He offered a hand to the child.

"N-no!" Surprising everyone present, the child slaps the offered hand and backs away from him. "I won't go back. Not yet"

"Now see here, there are a lot of people worried sick back at the village. And-grh!" The freelancer growls while rubbing his head. Now that things has calmed down, his previous headache seems to have returned with a vengeance.

"What he's trying to say is, should you not return to the village to ease their worries? Surely whatever brought you here can wait until tomorrow" Reisen picks up where Shirou left off.

As if noticing her for the first time since he woke up, the child looks up right at her. Reisen quickly shied her eyes away from the human, only to be taken aback when the kid clings to her hand.

"You're from Eintei right?"

"Y-yes?"

"My name is Kobayashi Kijima. Please help me. My grandmother is dying"

The immortal phoenix flinches.

* * *

><p><strong>Eintei<strong>

**10:38 PM**

"I am sorry, but I can't help her" Eirin regretfully told the child. She and the other Eintei residents were just finishing their dinner when her pupil came back bringing an unexpected entourage with her. Some explanations later, and now she's trying to placate a crying child.

"But... she's sick, and so weak. It hurt to see her like that. Please, heal her..."

Eirin rubs the back of her head as she considers the right words. "I know of your grandmother child, and based on her latest diagnosis, there's not much left that medicine can do for her"

"But why...?"

Placing a hand on the boy's head, she lightly rubs it. "She's already beyond her years. Her body has reached the limit, there's nothing left we can do for her"

"U-uu..."

Her heart clenched slightly as the child starts to cry. As a medical practitioner, this is not the first time she delivered bad news to a patient or family members. What follows after such news is hysteric crying, loud denial, or begging for the impossible. She usually just tunes those reactions out and patiently waits until their episode is over before she delivered the hammer blow and shuts the door to any possibility that she was wrong.

It's not that she's heartless; it's just the immunity she built up with experience. That's all.

But there are also some cases where the patients just nod silently. Not denying nor pleading, but simply accepting that their life is coming to an end. Those are few and far in between, but she has taken to treat these patients with the utmost respect.

And that is why, at the moment she finds herself ill prepared for the sight before her. Seeing someone so young, wracked in quiet sobs at his powerlessness, it's quite the disheartening sight.

And then the princess came in.

"Eirin, can I have a word?"

"Of course princess"

"Oh, not with you" Kaguya smiles as she nodded her head at the child in the room.

Now that's a shock. Not only the princess is showing initiative, she also wishes to console a crying child? Her being surprised would be the underestimation of the century! Today's not a full moon right? So what is it? Is she drunk?

"Eirin..." Kaguya motioned her to the door.

"O-of course princess" Excusing herself, she quickly left the room and close the door behind her. Now standing in an empty hallway, all she could mutter is, "Huh, that was weird"

"Master?"

Turning to her right, she saw her student coming out of the nearby patient room. Odd... If memory serves, that one is currently vacant.

"Master, how's the child?"

"He's fine. The princess is currently talking to him"

"The princess?"

"Yes the princess. More importantly, what were you doing in that room? Wasn't it empty?"

"Um... it was..."

At her raised eyebrow, Udonge opens the door to the patient room before stepping aside to let her look inside. Curious with the lunar rabbit's behaviour, Eirin poked her head inside and soon finds her eyebrow rose even further when she saw what's inside.

"I am fine really...! So untie me already!" Shirou protested as he struggles to no avail against the binds that tie his arms and legs to the bed.

"No-no-no. Bad human. Lie down" Sitting on his chest, Tewi playfully shakes her finger at him. "Stay... good boy"

"Why you little... urgh"

Eirin raised an eyebrow at the obvious act of patient mistreatment in front of her. "I suppose there's a good explanation for this?"

"Well you see..." Reisen then explains what happens as she was talking to the boy in her pharmacy. Apparently, as soon as they left, Shirou start wobbling left and right before collapsing in the middle of the living room. Instantly out cold as soon as he touches the floor, she and Tewi moved him to this empty patient room. No sooner that they lay him down, the boy woke up and struggles to get up again. Not listening to her advice for him to rest, he stubbornly keeps persisting. So after many failed attempt to persuade him, Tewi lost the little patience she has and decided to just tie him to the bed. "And that's when you come in Master"

"I see... So why did he collapse?"

"I'm not sure. He had a mild fever earlier today, but I've already given him some medicine for it. And earlier he was using Mokou-san's power... so shouldn't his illness be gone as well?"

Eirin nodded, proud that his pupil can connect the relevance of the Hourai Elixir to her diagnosis. "A nice observation, but it's still missing something. Is there any symptoms that's not related to his fever?"

"Nothing that I can think off"

"I see..." Keeping this early diagnosis in her head, Eirin went inside and walked up to the tied up freelancer. "You just can't stay out of trouble can you Shirou" She amusedly said to him.

"Not without lack of trying. Though Reimu would probably say otherwise" He grumbled. "Can you please untie me?"

"Sure, provided that you sit still long enough for me to examine you"

The tied up boy looks like he got something to say against that, but one challenging look from her and he quickly swallowed those words back. "... No needles?"

"No promise there" She replied cheerfully as she takes out a tray of doctor tools from the nearby desk.

"Geh..."

After a few alterations and many examinations that can definitely be classified as excessive, Eirin is now ready to announce her diagnosis. "You're drunk" She a matter-of-factly said.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Come again?" The freelancer asks in disbelief.

"You. Are. Drunk. Simple as that"

"B-but master, I already gave him some hangover medicine. So shouldn't he be sober now?"

"He should, but the effectiveness of the medicine have been overwhelmed by another factor that was introduced into his body"

"...Meaning?"

Eirin smiled knowingly. Based on the samples and examination she extracted from the boy, she found out that the Hourai elixir seems to view medicine mixture as a threat to the body. A very interesting discovery, one that she never would've found out without this test subject since the other immortals have no need to consume any medicine; not even hangover medicines as those two have near invincible alcohol tolerance.

With that said, she theorizes that the boy have gotten drunk simply because the alcohol is already in his system for some times before he came under the effect of the Hourai Elixir. Not viewing the alcohol as a threat but the medicine as one, it must've purge her hangover reliever of his body before it fully eliminate the drunkenness, thus, as she eloquently said to him, he's simply drunk.

"That's for me to know and for you not to know" She playfully said to him. "Now let's see if we can get you to shape up before the princess is done talking. Udonge, can you get the medicine from the top left drawer, and Tewi, go get some warm water if you please..."

* * *

><p><strong>Eintei<strong>

**11:28 PM**

It was near late at night when they left the house of healing.

His 'treatment' didn't take too long, all Eirin did was give him some unknown medicine for him to drink. Mere seconds after he drinks said medicine his headache instantly disappear and his body feels refreshed. Unfortunately, this is just temporary treatment according to the good doctor.

"_Udonge told me that the sake she fed you was something from the Oni's underground stash?"_

"_That's what Suika told me yes"_

"_I see... That complicates things" Turning away from him, Eirin pulls open a nearby cabinet and took out a few paper sachets. "I'd suggest you take these once every 12 hours for the next three days. They'll help you suppress the constant hangover you no doubt will experience"_

"_Really? Isn't this a bit too much?"_

"_No, as a matter-of-fact, these might not be enough... Just come back again if the medicines run out and you're still having the hangovers"_

Note to self; try not to drink anything that Suika recommends. 'Try' being a keyword here.

Anyway, as Eirin were doing a few last checkups on him, Kaguya then appears on the doorsteps. In his eyes, her otherworldly beauty is shining brightly as the last time he saw her, but there seem to be a mar on her appearance. She politely greeted him by name before she turns around and excused herself as she retires for the night. Not waiting for response, the princess left. He didn't see her again after that.

As he was leaving, only Reisen went to see him off.

"_You got him?" Reisen asked as she carefully places a now sleeping kid on his back. _

"_I got him. You can let go now" _

_Backing up a bit, the rabbit slowly brushed a few strands of hair from the kid's face. "He looks tired"_

"_Getting lost and being chased by a Youkai will do that to you. I'm actually surprised he could stay awake all the way until now"_

"_He just cares for his elder."_

"_All this commotion just because he wants to help..." He mutters while shaking his head sadly. "By the way, I'm surprised at how well that princess of yours handled him. Whatever she said seems to have really calmed him down"_

"_Yeah... we were surprised too..."_

He left the house of healing soon after with Reisen waving her arms good bye.

Walking back through the bamboo forest of the lost worries him, especially at this late at night, but 'she' should still be waiting somewhere up ahead.

He found 'her' must easier than expected even in the darkness, for there is burning beacon of light glowing against the dark background. Following it, he soon found Mokou waiting for them while sitting on a rock, her trademark scowl plastered on her face.

"You certainly took your time"

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"Longer than I'd like"

"You know you could come with us into Eintei instead of waiting here"

"..."

"Right... the death match thing. Forget what I just said"

"... Come on. Keine would be worried sick by now" She gets off the rock and start walking away.

Familiar with this behaviour from the last time, he quietly follows her.

An eerie silence fills their trek through the woods. Aside from the rustling grass and the light breathing from the sleeping kid on his back, there's no other sound that tries to invade through the darkness veil. "Hey" That is why he nearly jumped in fright when Mokou speaks to him. Good thing he didn't though as that would disrupt the peaceful sleep of the piggyback rider he's carrying.

"Y-yes?"

"... Never mind"

* * *

><p><strong>Fujiawa no Mokou's home <strong>

**11:49 PM**

Keine is having mixed feeling as she listened to the recounted tales from the two.

First, she's overjoyed that the two managed to find Kijima. From what she heard, if these two were late for more than a few more minutes, then the child would've been lost to them, taken by youkai. Second, she's crossed that these two did not send words when they secure the child, leaving her worrying for much longer than necessary. Third, she sympathizes with Kijima since all he wanted was to find help for his dying grandmother. It did not right his action, but she can understand it to an extent.

And fourth...

*Smack!

"G-gah...! The pain...!" Shirou reeled back as he once again finds himself on the receiving end of Keine's headbutt.

"You were still unwell and you forced yourself for this!? I expected better than you Shirou, but clearly your impulsiveness is at the same level as a child!" She exploded when the freelancer foolishly told about how he collapsed as soon when they arrive at Eintei.

"B-but... I'm already all better now... really..."

"No excuse! Go to the corner and stay there until you realize your mistake!"

"But..."

"Corner! now!"

"Y-yes Ma'am"

Her piercing eyes never left the sulking freelancer as he did as she told and stand on the nearby corner, facing toward the wall. That's one trouble child dealt with, now on to the next.

"You too Mokou. I expected better from you"

At her words, the immortal staggers back as if she was hit by a hammer. "M-me?"

"What were you thinking when you use your flame so freely against the youkai when she clearly had the boy in her hold?"!

"B-but... if I didn't do that she would've taken off with the kid"

"No excuse! And even if she flew away, what stopped you from flying after her and stopping her **without** your flame?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Sit down and reflect on your mistake! No dinner until I said otherwise!"

"But Keine..." Immortal as she is, she still needs to eat. Dying from hunger is not fun; though she'd revive soon after, she would just die again minutes later unless she get something to eat. It's a precarious situation, one that she only needs to experience once in her immortal life.

"Sit down and wait! I've yet to eat dinner myself you know"

"Yes..." Mokou dejectedly do as told as and sit down on the far wall.

That's two guilty party handled, and now Keine turn to the last one. The now awoken child is starring at the ground with a mixture of shame and fear as he waits for his punishment.

"Kijima you..."

*Slap

Both Shirou and Mokou turn to look when they heard the sound. What they saw really surprises them. Keine is standing over the kid, hand raised from just having delivered a resounding slap on the boy's cheek.

Everyone is wide eyed at what the school teacher just did.

"K-Keine-sensei?" The boy stutters in shock, her hand holding his stinging cheek.

"... You disappoint me Kijima"

"I'm sorry sensei..."

"What you did is very dangerous. What were you thinking when you left the village alone?"

"I just wanted to help grandma..."

"I know you do, but what would she feel if you lost your life by doing so? Do you think she would be happy about it?"

"No... I'm sorry..."

"I'm not the one who you should apologize too" Keine kneeled down and slowly wipe the tears from the boy's cheek. "C'mon, let's get you home. Everyone would be glad to see you're safe"

"Y-yes sensei"

Nodding at the kid, Keine then turns to the other two. "I'll be taking Kijima back home. You two are still not off the hook, so keep doing what you're doing now until I come back from the village"

"What?! That's not fair I also-" Shirou's protest dies in his mouth when a dangerous aura starts to roll out in waves from the school teacher.

"No negotiation. You will do as you were told. Understood?" Keine sternly told him. If one were to pay attention to her hair at this very moment, one would be able to spot strands of silver amidst her light blue hair, glistening under the now clear moon lit sky.

"Uu..."

"You too Mokou"

"O-okay..."

* * *

><p><strong>Eintei<strong>

**11:52 PM**

"Are you awake?" Eirin asked from the doorway.

No response from the still figure underneath the futon.

"You're asleep I see. Very well then" The door closes again behind her. But just before it closes completely, "It's not my place to say this, but I'm sure that child is grateful for your words. I know it's not easy for you. But you did well" Having said that, the door closes completely.

As the door closes shut, her eyes flutter open slowly. "... Eirin you busybody"

* * *

><p>"<em>What do you think death is?"<em>

"_W-what do you mean lady?"_

"_I understand that you feel sadness because someone close to you is near death. But why do you cry for her? Is death such a scary thing?"_

"_Yes..."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because she won't be with me anymore"_

"_That is true. But that doesn't mean that death is a scary thing" With a gentle hand, she wipes the tears on his face. "These tears are the sadness of being left behind; a most selfish notion that is shared by the livings. Do not weep for the dead, mourn them if you must, but after that, let them go"_

"_... but it's so hard"_

"_It is, but unfortunately, letting go is an unenviable duty that all living things must do at many points of their life. Your childhood, families, friends, dreams, you will let them go as time passes and you become older. It will repeat itself many times throughout your life until your flame of life burns out._

"_You mean death?"_

"_Exactly. Death is the culmination of life. Where you finally stop giving, for you have nothing else to give. By doing so, you're able to find peace in an eternal rest"_

"_Peace..."_

"_Of course that last part is up to Yama. But your grandmother will be fine right?"_

"_She will! She's the best grandmother ever!"_

"A lady with long black hair said that to you?" Keine can hardly belief her ears at what Kijima told her.

"Yes. She's very pretty"

"Huh... that was unexpected... Did she tell you anything else?"

"Nothing really, only that my grandmother is very lucky, which I don't get. Just how is dying makes you lucky?"

"I-I'm sure she means it because your grandmother has lived a long fulfilling life before she became sickly. Though you'd be surprised..." She mumbled the last part quietly to herself. "So Kijima, are you all right now? About your grandmother I mean"

"... That pretty lady was right; Grandma's time with us is getting short. I understood that" He sadly answered, once again on the verge of tears.

"Kijima..." Keine sadly muttered.

"I'm sad that she'll be gone soon. But there's nothing I can do"

Keine frowned at that. Looks like the lunarian princess only helped him to accept the fact, not coping with it. "Stop that. Your grandmother is still alive. So stop talking like she's no longer with us" She paused for a second to let her words sink in. "I don't know how much time she got left, but as her grandson, no, as family, it is your duty to love and care for her until the end. Do you think she can be happy if her last days are filled with nothing but tears and grieve?"

"T-that sounds awful"

"My point exactly. So please, no tears and frown okay? That's the last thing you can do for her. Let your grandmother spend her remaining days filled with love and comfort."

"I'll try..."

"There's no try. It's either do or don't. What will it be?"

"I'll do it. I promise"

"Good boy"

The child didn't say anything else after that as he looks to be deep in thought. Leaving him alone so he can sort his thoughts, Keine keeps quiet as lead him out of the bamboo forest. But just as they exited the forest and with the village in sight, the child speaks up again.

"Keine-sensei..."

"Yes?"

"When did you find out that my grandmother is ill?"

"I found out about it just today actually. In fact, I visited your family earlier this evening"

"Did you cry when you see her?"

"... No"

"How come?"

"Because when I came into her room, she still greeted me with a smile" Her lips tugged upwards at the memory. Such a strong will on that weakening body. Some humans just never cease to amaze her, even at the end.

* * *

><p><strong>Fujiwara no Mokou's Home<strong>

**Past Midnight**

Some human never cease to piss her off!

She growled when the boy starts growling again. "Will you cut that out already?"

"It's not like I'm doing it on purpose..." Shirou groaned. As if on cue, his stomach let out another beastly growl. Having been bedridden for most of the day, the only thing he has eaten since morning is a bowl of porridge. It was delicious, but it barely filled him. Since he was feeling sickly at the time he didn't pay much attention to the growing hunger inside of him. But now that he's well... it's all a different story.

"Uu..." His stomach growls once again, uncaring of Mokou's protest. He's so hungry... there's a table full of food just steps away from him and he can't touch it.

It's been near a full hour since Keine left them, and even until now he's still in the corner facing the wall. The urge to move away from this corner of shame is really strong, but he still has yet to move as his feet are frozen in place due to some sort of spell... Namely fear of what Keine will do if he disobeyed her.

The same goes for Mokou herself who's still sitting in the same spot for the past hour. Same as him, she's also feeling quite hungry herself. She occasionally glances at the food that is on the table before her, but not even once has her hand move to feed herself.

It's a wonder that neither of them has been moved by their growing hunger, but such is the weight behind a teacher's words, especially one that teaches with a smile and enforces the rule with corporal punishment.

"Ugh, I'm hungry..."

"Be quiet you. Keine will be back soon... I think"

"Easy for you to say, but if I don't leave soon I won't make it back before the stores are closed"

"Then just eat at home"

"... I've got nothing to eat at home"

"..."

"..."

"You're an idiot"

"Uu... sorry"

She sighed tiredly. Looking at the food strewn in front of her, a large scale internal dispute warred inside of her. It only lasted for a short while before the two conflicting argument all but destroy each other. Amidst the remains, only one thought survive the annihilation.

_What would Keine want her to do?_

The answer to that is very obvious.

"... Just eat here then"

He turns from the wall and look at her in surprise. "Huh?"

"It's bad manners to let a guest, even an uninvited one such as you to leave my home hungry. So when Keine comes back, you can... j-join us... for dinner..."

"Are you sure? You sounded very forced there at the end"

"Don't you have a wall to stare at!"

"S-sorry!" He whirled around back to face the corner. "And uh... thanks, I appreciate the offer. And this might be a bit late but, sorry for the intrusion"

"Whatever..." She muttered offhandedly, already stop paying attention to him.

No more words are spoken between the two after that.

Keine returns back to the house much later, just before midnight. Surprised to see them still undergoing their 'punishment', she quickly withdrew her sentences and the two instantly crumbles in relief. Using the few minutes where she can't move from the lack of blood flowing in her legs, Mokou told Keine about her intention to let him join them for dinner.

The school teacher was stunned when she told her that, but soon enough she start showering her with praises for her consideration.

Having her beloved friend being so pleased with her, Mokou decided at that point that her decision to let the human join them for dinner is a right one. She regretted it slightly during dinner as she has to share her attention with him, but then it balanced itself right away when Keine invited her to have dinner at her place next time.

Of course she hinted that she might invite the boy along as well, but if that will bring a smile to her face, then she will endure it for her sake. And admittedly, there are worse company than the boy. His presence is tolerable at least.

But do not mistake her tolerance for acceptance. If the boy ever betrays this leniency she gave him in any mean whatsoever, not even his ashes will remain after she's done with him.

Play with fire and you'll get burned.

Play with a phoenix and you'll be incinerated.

**Day 41-End**

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><p><strong>Please read and review.<strong>**The more reviews I get, the more motivated I am to write, and honestly, right now my motivation is on an all time low since I only got 3-4 reviews on my last chapter.**

**This chapter is dedicated for my grandmother who passes away last December. She passes away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends. Rest in peace grandma. Thank you for everything.**

**...**

**...**

**Ok, I'm all sad now. Let's not make you guys feel down as well. Here's a little bit of extra. Enjoy. **

* * *

><p><strong> Omake! Gundam Fight All Set! Ready! Go!<strong>

_As he burst out of his hiding place, he reaches out with his hand and grab on to the night sparrow's head. With the sparrow's vision blocked, he quickly use this precious second of surprise to tear the hostage away from his capturer._

_Taking a moment to secure the boy's safety, he then turns his attention back to the youkai in his hand that's starting to thrash about trying to get free._

"_This hand of mine is burning red..." As he said that, a red glows enveloped the hand that is still holding on to the sparrow's face. A blast of heat wave surge from his hand before flames erupted from it._

"_Its loud roars tell me to grasp victory!" The flames in his hand burns even brighter. The night sparrow is thrashing about even more wildly now as she tries to pry the burning hand away from her face to no avail._

_Ignoring the thrashing youkai in his grasp, he took one step forward, and then another, and before long he's running through the bamboo trees. Moving in a straight line, knocking down every tree in his path by slamming them down with the enemy in his grasp, he keeps running._

_At least a dozen bamboo trees were taken down before he skidded to a dead stop. Spinning around in place for a moment, he then added the centrifugal force he gathered to throw the barely moving youkai in his hand up high into the air._

"_Heat! End!"_

_*Kaboom_

_A deafening explosion rumbled through the night as the night sparrow all but erupted in a fiery blaze._

_Shielding his eyes from the brightly lit sky, he turns around and starts to walk away. The darkness slowly returns to the area that he left behind, and along with it, a motionless body falls from the sky. It makes a loud smack as it hit the ground, but he didn't even bother to glance at it to check on his handy work. After all, there's little doubt that the enemy won't get up anymore._

"Something like that? " Sanae breathes heavily as she finishes retelling the story her way.

"What the hell..." Shirou palmed his face exasperatedly. Trust a mecha otaku to put some weird twist into a perfectly good flashback and turn it into a mecha rip off.

* * *

><p><strong>The omake is crossovered from G-Gundam. I don't own that either.<strong>

**Anyway, please review. Please-Please-Please-Please!**

**If I can I wanna hit 3 digit review before I put up the next MILESTONE chapter, which is soonish I tell you.**

**So please, once again; Please review. I need them to fuel my motivation to write.**


	16. Day 61: The Fickleness of the Strong

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**I AM VERY SORRY!**

**I once said that I'll put updates faster as I get more review, but I failed to deliver even though I got many reviews from the last chapter! Lets hope that this wont become a habit... Anyway! Here's the new chapter.**

**It took me much longer than usual as I am not very familiar with the chapter's focus, lots of research from the canon and fanon was required and even then I still cant get a strong enough grasp on their personality which causes many problems with the writing process. God Knows how many rewrites I did before I can write an acceptable portrayal of their character, and even now I'm still a bit sketchy about it. **

**Oh well... read and review as usual I guess. I hope this one is not too messy...**

**... Hm...can't think of a good title for this chapter. Um... Okay, kinda crappy, but I got it.**

**Day 61: The Fickleness of The Strong**

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**8.42 AM**

Up on the Youkai Mountain, a certain green haired shrine maiden has nearly finished with the housework. Having done with the cleaning and laundry, all she has left to do is to hang up the laundry to dry, but that last one will have to wait for a while as thick clouds looms over the sky blocking the sun from view. Since hanging the laundry now is pointless, the shrine maiden move on to her final task for the morning, which prove to be the most challenging one as always.

"Come on Suwako-sama, it's time to wake up"

"Mm... 5 more minutes..." The small Goddess mumbled out from under her pillow.

"You've been saying that for the last hour! Please get up Suwako-sama."

"20 more minutes..."

The shrine maiden sighed. It doesn't look like there's anything she can do that will wake the sleeping Goddess.

As she ponders on what she should do, the door behind her slides opens as her patron deity poked her head in. "Sanae, it's time to go, are you ready?" She asked.

"Almost Kanako-sama. I just have to get Suwako-sama up"

"She's still asleep?" Kanako's eyes narrowed as she regards the form of her fellow deity. "Suwako, get up"

"Don't wanna..." Suwako replied as she buried her head into her pillow.

"You know that we'll be going to see the Kappas today right?"

"Yeah, have fun..."

"Honestly you..." Kanako sighed in resignation before she turns around. "Let's just Sanae"

"Eh?"

"If we wait until she gets up then we won't leave for at least two hours from now. So go get ready. We'll leave in five minutes"

The shrine maiden looks conflicted about leaving one of her patron deity behind, but in the end she relented to her other patron deity. "... As you wish Kanako-sama" Saying that, Sanae quietly bowed down slightly before she turns around and left the room.

As the door closes behind the shrine maiden, Kanako let out a long drawn out sigh. Then without warning, she turns around and yanked the pillow off the half-asleep Goddess.

"Mn...!" One eye fluttered opens to silently glare at the interruption.

Ignoring the annoyance rolling in waves from her fellow Goddess, Kanako just smirked while shaking her head. "We'll be going now. Watch over the house while we're gone okay?"

"That goes without saying" Suwako grumbled before she gets up and snatches her pillow back from Kanako. Plopping back down again with her pillow held close in her arms, she quickly starts to doze off again. "... Not a fairy will slip in"

"I'll hold you to that" Kanako smirked as she gets up and move for the door. "And don't forget to hang our laundry out as well"

"Yeah-yeah... Wait what!?" Suwako shot up from her futon. But before she can do anything, Kanako has already shut the door behind her and runs off.

"We'll be back by the evening; it should be sunny by then so you better have the laundry out, or else" Kanako's voice cheerfully echoes in the room.

Left alone in her room, Suwako is flabbergasted as she stares at the door.

Damn that snake!

...

"Eh whatever, 10 more minutes..." Flopping back to her futon, she closes her eyes and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>Scarlet Devil Mansion Gate<strong>

**11:21AM**

"Hiyaah!"

"Guh!" Though I blocked the punch, the force behind it still pushes me back a good distance away.

Skidding to a halt, I move the flow of energy in me towards my hand and let it build up there. **"Forged Sign: Star Bullets!" **Throwing my hand forward, I release the accumulated energy which came out in the form of a large bullet nearly as big as me!

Seeing the bullet I just unleashed, Meiling's mouth twisted to a frown. "You thought to take me down with my own attack?! Naive!" She said full of confidence. Digging her feet to the ground, she makes no move to get out of its way, instead choosing to face it head on.

Making a stance, she lifted both her hands in front of her and slowly starts to spins them.

"Haaah!" Then right before the bullet hit her, her hand let out a colourful glow as she increases her movements until they're just a blur. As she does that, a barrier made of swirling colours is formed. This colourful barrier looks so fancy and unreliable, but it did its job as it manages to stop my bullet dead in its track.

"Seriously!?" Though I'm irritated that my bullet fails to connect, I can't help but to let awe seep into my voice at the display of skill.

"Like I said, Naive" The gatekeeper smirked. My bullet is still trying to bore through her barrier, but it's starting to fade out as it run out of energy.

... And then I notice colours starting to seep into the fading bullet.

"Seyaaaaah!" With a yell, the colours of Meiling's barrier brighten. It then starts to encompass the bullet in front of her, turning it into a colourful swirling energy not unlike her barrier.

That caused warning bell to trigger in my head, but it was not until I saw her victorious grin that I know I'm in trouble. **"Star Sign: Earth Moving Star Bullets!" **The now rainbow coloured bullet shot back from her and flew straight at me!

"Eep!"

What followed was a rainbow of explosions. I didn't remember much about what happened later, only remembering flashes of colour and pain... but mostly the pain.

... Let's skip the painful part and get on to the aftermath.

"Uu... I lost again..." I don't bother to pick myself up from the ground as I lay there defeated. Staring blankly at the sky, I can see a colourful rainbow in my vision... something I'm quite concerned about as today is dark and cloudy.

"That was a good effort, but you still have a long way to go" Said the gatekeeper as she looks down at me. "One thing though, I notice you're being unusually aggressive in your attack today. Why is that?"

"Hm..." The full explanation is; last night was a full moon. Not wanting a repeat of last month with me going near berserk with my emotion, I hunkered down at my home as soon as night falls. By going to bed early, I managed to sleep through my 'time of the month' phase. It seems to have worked as when I woke up this morning everything was just fine... except for the extreme high tension I suddenly found myself in.

On a side note, the hangover I've been enduring for the past few days was completely gone when I woke up this morning... Thank God for that...

Still though, feeling so hyped up like I just drank gallons of coffee doused in sugar, I quickly put on some clothes and washed my face before rushing out of the village. Before I even realize it I'm already heading down the path to the Scarlet Devil Mansion. When I got there, a sleepy looking Meiling instantly perked up when I asked for a quick match.

... Two hours later and I'm lying on the dirt, all beaten and battered, and surprisingly still having energy to move... Though I currently unable to do so having just took a supercharged version of an attack that I copied being thrown back at me by the original owned of said attack... I really should've seen that one coming...

"Too much pent up energy" I told her the short version. "Not that it made much difference since you still wiped the floor with me as always"

"Were you expecting any less?"

"No, not really" I shamefully admitted.

"Well then. If there's one thing I should point out from today's match is that you're focusing too much on what you can see. While it's not a bad thing to concentrate on the fight, you shouldn't let it go so far that you neglect your surrounding as well"

Sighing, I silently admitted that she's right. There are occasions in the match where I could've done better simply by paying attention to my surroundings; Feints that I could've easily avoid, being backed to a wall, tripping on a dent in the ground. All I could easily avoid if I just paid more attention. But shamefully, I was too concentrated on Meiling that I barely paid attention to the things I should've be aware to, a fact that Meiling took advantages of many times during our match.

The gatekeeper continues her lecture. "You should be more open-minded. Try to keep your head clear, focus less on what you can see and more on what you can't see"

"Uh-huh... is that why you were always sleeping on the job?"

"T-that's not it! And just because my eyes were closed doesn't mean I was sleeping"

She's rather adamant about it, but I'm really not convinced here. Sure I always saw her standing guard all the time, but the way her head keeps nodding off, it's pretty clear to me and everyone else that she's dozing off right there.

To her credit though, she always snaps awake whenever I get near the mansion, somewhere around 20-30 metres away from her. Quite the feat, though I personally find her ability to sleep while standing up to be a lot more impressive than her detection range.

"Whatever you say..." I casually remarked while I stands up. That's enough rest for me. "Should we have another go or was that enough?"

"I don't know... I'm fine either way, so it's up to you"

"Well I still got plenty left in me so..." I was cut short as both me and Meiling jump away from each other. Not a second later a pair of knives embedded themselves where we previously stood.

"I would prefer if you both call it quits for now" The owner of those knives said as she suddenly appeared in front of the mansion gate. With her arms crossed, she steps in between us. "Milady has just retired for the day. Thus I would ask both of you to cease your less than quiet activity"

Remilia is going to sleep huh? Come to think of it, I got here pretty early in the morning. With a vampire's nocturnal habit, it's not wrong to compare morning as late night for them. So now that it approaches noon, it must be sleeping time for them.

"I do apologize for the inconvenience, but though you're a welcomed guest here in the mansion, the needs of my mistresses must come ahead of yours" Sakuya told me as she picks up her knives from the ground. One blink away and the knives are gone from her hand.

"No it's okay, I get it" I awkwardly respond to the overly proper maid. Really it's not her fault, so why is she apologizing?

"I thank you for your understanding. If you like, would you care to have some lunch? It's just leftovers from last night's dinner, but I've reheated them. There's should be more than enough for both you and Meiling" Sakuya said as she lifted a rather large bundle in her arms.

I'm surprised I didn't notice it until now, especially at how good it smelled.

It's just not in me to refuse free food, so it's pretty obvious what my answer was.

As I was about to accept the maid's offer, my heightened senses detected a fast moving something coming toward the mansion. Meiling seems to have sensed it as well since she tensed up to fight off this potential intruder if needs be.

Turning to face the direction of this potential intruder, both me and Meiling did a double-take as we saw a cloud of mist fast approaching us. What the heck? For something that is formless it got a really strong feeling coming from it...

"Shirou!" Even weirder, the mist can speak and its voice sounded very familiar.

"Suika?" I tentatively asked it.

"Who else?" It chirped back. Then right in front of my eyes, the mist cloud gathered together, forming into a certain little Oni. Touching the ground with a small bounce in her steps, Suika slightly wobbles left and right as she comes towards me. "So, what were you doing in this kind of place?" She slurred out.

Uh-oh, she's drunker than her usual. Have to tread carefully here else I might end up under her foot again.

Taking a quick glance at the other two, neither Sakuya nor Meiling make any move to help me. Those two must have noticed the Oni's high level of inebriation and wanted to stay clear far away from the potential hazardous situation. Smart thinking... Wish I could do the same, but unfortunately the drunken Oni's attention is focused solely on me.

"Um... I was just..."

I haven't even said anything when Suika's hand shot out and grabbed a hold of me. "Never mind that! Come with me!"

"Eh? Wait a...!?" Not wasting any time, Suika picked me up like a sack of potato and ran off with me slung over her shoulder! "Suika! Stop!" I yelled while trashing about. But her grip on me isn't budging!

"Heheh... what's wrong? Is this your first time being kidnapped by an Oni? Don't worry; I'll take good care of you... hic"

"Gyaaaah!"

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**12.48 PM **

The cloud has cleared up slightly when Suika skidded to a halt.

"We're here!" Suika loudly declared as she unceremoniously drops me in favour of taking a swig of her gourd.

"Urk..." Restraining the urge to vomit after being subjected to the Oni's rough treatment, I weakly pick myself from the ground. Man... Why does she have to run here? Not that I prefer flying, but at least there are less shaking up there. Right now I feel like I just got thrown around in a mixer...

"Haaah..." Taking a few deep breaths to suppress a budding nausea in my head, I carefully stand up and start to look around to see where Suika has dragged me to this time.

... This is... a shrine? Am I at the Reimu's? Wait, no, that can't be right. This shrine is neither old nor worn out... so there's no way I'm at the Hakurei Shrine right now. It's also impossible for me to be at the Byakuren temple, since that one is conveniently located at the village, standing tall on top of a giant ship-like structure.

So since I'm not at either of those two places, that means I'm currently at...

My train of thought came to a halt when Suika grabs hold of my hand and starts to drag me onward. "Hey! Anyone home?!" Suika yells loudly as she walked to the shrine. Not able to resist the Oni, I reluctantly let myself be dragged along.

"S-sorry for intruding..." I weakly said when Suika pulls me into the shrine.

"HELLO I'M COMIN IN!"

... Saying it so loudly beats the point, especially since we're already inside. But I guess those kind of details doesn't apply to this oni, or any drunken person for that matter...

Anyway, in response to Suika's loud voice, a nearby door slides open as a sleepy looking girl walked out. "Yeah-yeah, I heard you the first time..." She yawned widely. Tiredly rubbing her eyes, the girl looks up at us. "Oh, it's a drunken oni and the freelancer. I don't know what you two are doing here, but can you keep it down a bit? It's way too early to be so loud"

I tilted my head to the side as I beheld the familiar face in front of me. "Um, Suwako-san? It's already past noon, were you still sleeping until now?"

"Yeah... I was playing around too much the last few days so I'm a bit low on..." She paused as her eyes snapped open. "Wait, it's already past noon you said?

"Way past. Why?"

Hearing that, the frog deity dashed to the door that we came in from. She soon returns while smacking herself in the face. "Noooo! The sun is out and I still haven't put up the laundry!" She moaned while cradling her head. "If they came back now... Shirou, help me!"

"H-help you with what?"

Ignoring my confusion, Suwako runs off somewhere inside. She came soon back with a basket full of laundry. Extending her hands at me, her intent is obviously for me to take the basket from her. But unfortunately, there's a slight problem in the shape of light green underwear lying right on top of the pile!

Blood instantly rushed to my head as I looked away. "W-whoa! Why are you giving that to me?"

"Carry it for me!" She forcefully pushed it to me before running off outside.

Oh come on! What kind of person let a random stranger deal with their unmentionables!? Turning to the oni beside me, I try pleading with her so that she'd take the basket off my hands. "Um... Suika, can you please carry this for me?"

The little oni beside me chuckled. "No way. Seeing a human squirming in shame is fun... or at least that's what Yukari told me. I never actually got what she means, so maybe I'll get it if I observe you"

Dammit Yukari!

"Uu..." I can't help but whined at the situation.

Gods this is so embarrassing! I hope there's no tengu around...

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**13.27 PM **

"Oi Shirou, are you still alive?"

"Un..." I mumbled out, completely exhausted.

There's actually a lot of underwear in that laundry pile. From this to that, I've seen them all...

Of course, I tried very hard to pay them no mind, but even I must admit that was an uphill battle. To make it worse, neither Suika nor Suwako is of much help; both are content to just stay back and watch, finding my dilemma to be very amusing.

So amidst their drunken cheers and laughter, I force myself to finish the job...

No sooner that I finish, a very happy Suwako proceeds to drag me to their living room area, where I promptly collapsed on the spot from the mental exhaustion.

Damn, my head is completely numb... must be because I keep forcing it to stop working while I was hanging the laundry. Though there's no more reason to do that anymore, my brain seems to have creased to a grind as if it's forgotten how to work properly.

"... Suika, can I get a swig?"

"Sure thing" She happily handed me her gourd.

"Thanks..." I muttered before I put the tip in my mouth and tilted it upward. The fiery liquid soon flows freely down my throat, generating a small buzz in my head.

Ah... nothing like a bit of alcohol to forcibly reset my brain...

Feeling slightly better than before, I toss the gourd back to Suika. "So now that things have calmed down for a bit, mind telling me for what reason you brought me here?"

"Oh that? I was running errands for Reimu when I saw you playing with the vampire's gatekeeper, so I thought, might as well. He-he"

"Why am I not surprised...? So where did our host run off to?"

"She said she's getting you something for helping her out"

"... Wasn't really expecting anything just for hanging her laundry"

Hearing my comment, Suika blinks in surprise. And then she starts laughing. "Heheh, you do realize you're human right? You're warranted a bit of selfishness here and there. Take Reimu for example, she's always got her eyes on money, though it rarely comes for her"

I shrugged. "My old matron keeps telling me not to put money as foremost. I heard her say that so often it gets ingrained in my head..." I smiled slightly at the memory. "That doesn't mean I can't be selfish though"

"Oh? So if someone would grant you what you desire most, what would you ask for?"

"Well..."

Before I can answer, there's a rapid foot sound out in the hall before the door swung open. "I'm back!" Suwako runs back to the room, carrying what look like a shoebox in her hand. Putting the box down in the table, she climbs on an empty chair before turning to me. "Thanks for putting up the laundry. It really saves me the trouble, especially now that Kanako won't have any reason to complain once she gets home"

"Uh... sure"

"Anyway, here's your pay for the help. It's Sanae's, so I can't let you keep it. But I'm sure she won't mind if you just borrows it for a bit" She pushed the shoe box to me

"What is it?" I eyed the box carefully. It's not going to blow up right?

"Open it Shirou... hic! I wanna see!" Well, at least one of us is looking forward to it.

"But I can't just..."

"It's fine. As a Goddess above Sanae, I'll allow it" Taking the box back, Suwako easily lifted the lid and pushes it back to me and Suika who wastes no time trying to see what's in the box.

"Hm? What's this?" Suika's face contorted to confusion as she reaches into the box and pulled out a...

Seeing a familiar item, I quickly take it off Suika's hand before she breaks it by accident. "Is this a game-boy?" It's a game-boy advance to be precise, a small handheld made by Nintendo. I haven't seen this model in a while, since a newer version of the handheld has rendered the Advance version obsolete.

"I figured you'd know about it. From what I heard, it's a very popular item just before we moved to Gensokyo" Suwako told me.

"Was popular yeah..."

"Heheh" Rummaging through the box, Suwako then pulled out a small game cartridge." Here, try playing this game"

"Okay?" Taking the game from her, I plug it in and switch it on.

* * *

><p><strong>Youkai Mountain-Moriya Shrine<strong>

**15.02 PM **

Having excused herself early from the meeting with the kappas, the wind priestess runs back to the shrine after making a quick stop at the village. The reason she does this is to quickly feed the proxy God of her shrine so that when Kanako-sama came back and saw the laundry still undone, the ensuing fight would be more bearable than otherwise.

But then as she flew overhead and saw the already hanged laundry, she realizes her effort is for naught. But being the holy shrine maiden she is, there are no dark thought from the futility of her effort, only shame for doubting her God and a sense of relief that those two would not be fighting again today.

Happy with how things progressed, Sanae landed in front of their front entrance with a smile on her face. "I'm home. Suwako-sama?" She called out as she walked in.

"Yeah, right here!" The reply comes from their living room on the far left. "Sanae, I'm hungry!"

She expected that response, which is why she's glad that she went ahead to buy some lunch in advance. "I'll have lunch prepared in a minute"

"You're the best Sanae! ... Oh, by the way, we have guests right now. They're probably hungry too..." Small pause before laughter echoed from the living room. "Well, one of them is hungry at least, so can you bring something for them as well?"

Guests? That was unexpected. "That's fine Suwako-sama, I'll be just a minute"

Heading into the kitchen and away from the living room, Sanae quickly pulled out a pair of plates and a tray. Opening the paper bag she bought at the village, she placed the contents onto the plates and then placed the plates onto the tray. All she has to do now is brew some tea, but that can follow later; first she best take the food to Suwako-sama and the guests.

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**15.19 PM **

The game didn't really interest me as much as Suwako would hope, but I must admit having a piece of modern technology in my hand after so long, no matter how obsolete it is does makes for an interesting experience. Suika who never saw a game-boy before is latching onto my back, making 'ooh' and 'aah' sound as she watches the screen in mild interest.

It was in the middle of an attack animation when the door behinds me slides open.

"Suwako-sama, here are the..." Sanae froze as she her eyes locked on me, or more precisely, on the game-boy in my hand.

Noticing the heated look, I slowly place the game-boy on the table. "Uh, hey... how's it going?"

"GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAH!" An ear piercing scream blasted through the shrine.

I barely had time to catch the fallen tray that slipped out of Sanae's hand. Good thing I was sitting close to the door... is what I thought as I move to put down the tray... Only for me to get bowled over as Sanae threw herself over the gameboy.

"NO! Don't look!"

... I'm not looking... considering you just knocked me down. The food is fine since I held it up even as I fell, but I fell flat on the ground since I can't held both my myself and the food with just my two arms.

"Heh, nice save" Suwako laughed as she take the food tray off my hands and carry it to safety.

"Y-yeah... way to go me... ow..." My face felt tender, probably a bit bruised from its meeting with the floor. Picking myself up, I slowly turn to look the shrine maiden. "You know, I was just playing it for bit. I'm not even saving the game, so what was that for?" I asked her, a bit miffed from the rough treatment.

"B-b-b-because..." Sanae is a wreck. Her face is red as tomato and her voice quivering from extreme embarrassment. "A-a-a-a-a..." She can barely form coherent sentences. Hell, she's hyperventilating!

"Whoa, calm down. Take a deep breath"

"Haa... Haa..." She comically did as I told her and starts to breathe slowly through her mouth.

I waited a moment until some colour return to her face. "Look, I'm sorry for playing with your game without permission, but there's no-"

"A- A LIVING GODDESS DOES NOT PLAY VIDEO GAMES!"

... I'd be more convinced if she didn't deny it so strongly. However, the rightful ownership of the video game is less important compared to what she refers to herself as.

"A living goddess?"

"Oh, you don't know? Sanae is a God too" Suwako answered me a matter-of-factly

... Oh. That makes sense I guess... or not... Feeling compelled to scratch my head from confusion; I did just that as I take in the revelation. Still, how should I deal with this situation?

Facing the now-revealed-to-be-a-Living-Goddess, I raised both my hands to my chest level, clapped them twice, and hold them together. "So... I'm sorry?"

"Uu..."

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**16.11 PM **

"Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Kanako laughed so hard while banging her palm on the floor. She came back not long after we manage, or I manage to calm down Sanae. No sooner that Suika and Suwako told her what happened, she instantly burst out laughing. "That was hilarious!"

"Kanako-sama! This is no laughing matter! And Suwako-sama, why are you showing my... possessions to him? He's nothing more than a stranger to us! No offense Shirou-san"

"None taken"

"Aww... why not? I thought you two can bond over that game thing, and you know... be friends?"

"Video game is a waste of time though..."

"I-I agree! I rarely played it myself"

"But you look so happy whenever you were playing it"

"T-t-that's because..." She trailed off there, but it's not like I need to hear it from her to know why since the reason is pretty obvious; Super Robot Wars. It's a game with deep strategic play and full unit customizations made famous for taking its story and cast from well known mecha or robot anime. For a mecha otaku like Sanae... that game is everything she wanted and more.

There are 5 game cartridges in the box, and one in the gameboy, so that's 6 different Super Robot Wars games. She's definitely a fan...

"By the way, where did you get batteries for it?"

"The Kappas made a gadget for that. It can recharge my batteries, but only during a thunderstorm..."

"Seriously?" I don't know which is more surprising; that there are Kappas in Gensokyo, or the fact that the Kappas can make such devices. Admittedly they got a pretty messed up safety protocols if they uses lightning to recharge something small like batteries, but it's impressive nonetheless.

"It does sound hard to believe at first, but the kappas are quite the thinkers. You should've seen their homes, it's very impressive"

"Huh... I'll keep that in mind. Where do they live?"

"At the big lake on the base of the mountain. Did you not see it on your way here?"

"Um... no. Can't really enjoy the view with an Oni dragging me on"

"Ah... Speaking of which..." Sanae turns to the oni. "Is there a reason why you came to visit us Suika-san?"

Now that the conversation has shifted to her, Suika lowered her sake gourd from her mouth as she grinned. "Reimu told me to come here"

"I-Is that so... Is there any particular reason why she told you to come here?"

"Nah, not really"

The oni's innocent reply generates a wave of headaches to all present but her. So apparently, she went to the Moriya's, and by proxy dragging me along with her, is because Reimu can't be bothered to deal with her and decided to pawned her off. Suika seems to realise this herself, but she went along with it anyway.

... Stupid lazy-good-for-nothing-shine maiden...

Kanako, still in a good mood, leaned forward and offered her empty glass to the oni. "Well, since that's how it is, I'd be expecting compensation for the precious time we've spent looking after you"

Grining to herself, Suika filled the glass full to the brim with the sake from her gourd. "Heh, sure. Get Reimu to pay you whatever" She said as she starts gulping down her sake again. "But that right is only for hosts that can entertain their guests..." Her mouth twisted into a smirk.

"Oho? Did I detect a challenge?"

"Maybe"

The atmosphere in the room becomes heavy from the intense stare down the two are having. There are yet to be any bullets flying about, but it's only a matter of time now.

"N-no Kanako-sama! You can't just start a danmaku inside the house!" Sanae desperately pleaded. Can't blame her; no one wanted an Oni to start smashing up their place.

"Che, fine, let's take this outside"

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**16.21 PM **

The sky is littered with colourful bullets and flying beams as the Oni and the Goddess duke it out. Watching the spectacle from a relatively safe distance on the shrine, I can't help but let out a heavy sigh.

"What's the matter Shirou-san?"

I look up to the green haired shrine maiden. "Nothing... just wondering if I'd ever be able to pull off something like that" I turn my gaze to the sky again.

"Oh right, I heard that you dabble somewhat in danmaku"

"Dabble would indicate that I have some idea of what I'm doing"

The girl let out an unsuppressed giggle at my admission. "I can understand that. It's hard to understand the rules at first right?"

"... What rules?"

This time a few chuckles manage to escape the shrine maiden's lips.

"Aww... poor you" Suwako lightly patted my head. Since I'm sitting down and she's standing up she can easily reach my head with no problem. "Let bring you up to speed shall we?"

With that, I received a full crash course in proper danmaku.

Apparently, there are quite a number of rules that I've been ignorant of until now. The use of spell cards for example, is an integral part of danmaku. Where I usually just use them randomly to put myself on a somewhat even footing against my opponent, the proper usage would be to use them as a decisive technique.

And then there's the limited number of spell cards allowed in a match, Sanae mentions that she has a bunch of them, but she's only allowed to use the specified amount that was decided in advance of a danmaku. This rule definitely caters for the weaker participant, myself included, who only have a few spell cards at our disposal.

And lastly, this one really caught my attention, is that the winner of a match is entitled to claim their reward, whether it's a material possession or even a demand as long as both parties agreed upon it before the match. If one side is not interested in the offer prior to the match, then they are allowed to refuse to participate in the danmaku. This one is a plenty more detailed than Marisa's "the winner is always right" creed. I best keep this in mind, especially that last part...

After that the explanation went over a few nonspecific rules such as limiting physical contact and the definition of a solid hit and such. "And that's pretty much it. Do you have any question?" Asked Sanae who have taken over the explanation from Suwako.

I shake my head in reply. "Nah, I think I get it" Feeling tired from listening to the lecture, no matter how short it was, I laid back and rest my head over my hand. Watching the light show on the sky above, my free hand absentmindedly moves to my pocket and draws out my two spell cards.

"Decisive technique huh..." I muttered the term that Sanae used when she was going over the spell card rules. Thinking about it, these two spell cards are very far from the word decisive; one only puts me at somewhat even ground to my opponent while the other gave me a random and sometimes unreliable ability for me to use. There's nothing decisive here.

"Oooh... Is that your spell card Shirou? Let me see" Suwako tries to pry the cards of my hand but her hand got slapped away just as she was about to take it. "Ow! Sanae, what was that for?"

"You're being rude Suwako-sama" The shrine maiden scolded her.

"But don't you want to know too?"

"I would be lying if I said no, but that's no excuse to just barge in on someone's privacy like that"

"Tsk. Fine. I'll drop it for now" Suwako grumbled before turning her attention back to me. "But now I'm curious. Just how good are you at danmaku? Have you won against anybody before?"

"I've beaten the Ice Fairy a couple of times"

"Not bad. She doesn't amount to much though. Anyone else?"

Hm... There's a few random youkais that I fend off once in a while, but those are done outside of danmaku so it doesn't count. There's that time I toppled the giant Suika, but once again, it's outside of danmaku.

Damn, no other wins beside Cirno huh. That's just sad...

"... Can you hold that question for a month or two?"

"Postponing the answer for a better one huh? Yeah sure, I'll allow that. You better have a good answer the next time I ask you though"

"I'll do my best. No promise though..."

"Heh" Shaking her head slowly, Suwako grinned as she leaned her back on Sanae. Using the shrine maiden as a cushion, she let out a satisfied sigh as she relaxed her body. "You're weird. Has anyone else told you that?"

"A few did... or maybe more. Is that bad?"

"Hm... no, not really. Sometimes being weird is a good thing in itself. What do you think Sanae?"

"I-I'm not sure how to answer that..." The shrine maiden started off. "But regardless, Shirou-san is definitely different than most, in a good way of course"

"You didn't deny the weird part" Though I said that, I can't stop the laughter surging from deep inside. Not that I wanted to anyway, and soon enough, the three of us were laughing, or chuckling in Sanae's case.

This is the situation Kanako and Suika came back to. Either looks slightly worse for the wear, but not so bad that it hinted the fact that they were flying around while trying to shoot the other down using dozens if not hundreds of bullets.

"Did we miss something?" Kanako asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Eh, it's nothing important" Suwako answered her. "So? Who won?"

"I did. Though winning against a drunken oni who drinks as much as she shoots is really not satisfying..."

All eyes turn to Suika who's chugging down her sake. Noticing the attention she garnered, the little oni raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Nothing..."

Shrugging at Sanae's response, the oni uncaringly lied down on the floor and start drinking again. Seeing the carefree behaviour, all present but the oni let out a heavy sigh, Kanako in particular.

"Nonetheless... it's my victory, which means that red-white now owes us one"

"Yeah, sure, whatever" Suika nodded uncaringly. Scratching her head lightly, the oni then turns towards me. "You okay with that Shirou?"

"Huh?" I blink owlishly at having the random question. "What do I have to do with it?"

"Isn't it obvious? Reimu's going to owe them for the food that **we** ate. So she'll have to pay your share as well right?" She asked around.

At the oni's question, Sanae unsurely looks around, but the other two instantly sprout a large grin on their faces.

Placing a hand on my shoulder, Kanako leaned closer at me. "Why of course, the oni's right. I'll be sure to get that red-white one to compensate us for taking care of both of our guests today"

Suddenly assaulted by an intense wave of dread, I try to move away from the Goddess only to find the other one latching on to my other shoulder. "That's right. I'm sure she won't mind covering for you as well, right?"

No she won't! And you both know it!

"Uu... Spare me that please"

"Why should we?"

"Because I'm asking nicely?"

"Asking nicely doesn't work around here"

"... You mean..."

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**16.47 PM **

"How are you going to win against Kanako-sama!?" Sanae nearly shrieked in my face when it becomes clear that a danmaku is all but inevitable.

"I don't know... I'm still thinking about it" I sourly replied. Not that I'm against the idea of a good match, it's just that I'm not really comfortable with the attached stakes. If I lose, I'll earn Reimu's wrath for days if not weeks to come, and she'll surely makes me pay her back with plenty of interest. If I win... well, I don't really get anything... bummer...

Frustrated at how things turned out, I roughly scratch my head. If I go bald from this, I'm blaming Reimu...

"You'll be fine. Kanako even let you have a handicap for the match" Suwako reminded me.

"Hn..." Honestly, I'm insulted for being given such favourable treatment, but I'd be stupid to refuse. My opponent is a God after all, one that can stand straight even after taking on an Oni head on. She'll chew me up and spit me out in tiny little pieces if try I go against her in a fair match.

"Handicap?" The shrine maiden asked.

"Ah yeah... She's letting me use two spell cards while she'll only use one. That means I got two attempts to do this, right?"

"Well... yes. But still, can you win against Kanako-sama?"

"I dunno... Maybe?"

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**16.57 PM **

"No I can't" I groaned, my back flat on the ground as I lay defeated.

First attempt is a total failure! Right from get go she bombard me from the sky! As her bullets drop on me like rain I was forced to run all over the place just to get out of its way. And then she uses her spell card and soon enough laser beams start raining down as well. Those are evadable if wasn't for the fact that they burst into more bullets when they hit the ground!

Needless to say I lost round one horribly, and not from lack of trying. I did fire a few shots of my own, but they just bounced off the barrier that she put up around her. I can probably break the barrier if I fire a stronger bullet, but can't concentrate long enough to do that while being on the run from her bullets.

She's strong. I don't think I can win against her...

"Done already?" My opponent smirked as she hovered above me. "That was disappointing, I expected more"

... But I'll be damned if I let her look down on me like this! "Just you wait...! I'll take you down... somehow..." Forcing my tired feet to move, I push myself off the ground.

"I'll look forward to it. But first..." Looking around the devastated courtyard courtesy of her bombardment, Kanako sighed. "We better fix the ground a bit, it won't do to have you trip on them... again"

"Uu..."

It's shameful, but the reason why I lost the previous round is because I lose my balance from stepping on one of the holes. The 2 seconds it took me to right myself up was all the time she needs to rain down bullets on me.

Softly touching the ground, Kanako then turns to our audience. "Hey oni, be useful and fix this mess up. Sanae, get our guest here something to drink"

"Kay'"

"Y-yes Kanako-sama"

The two replied before both went off to do what they were told to do. Sanae went into the shrine followed by Kanako while Suika, after gulping down her sake, slowly stands up and move to the middle of the courtyard.

That left Suwako with nothing to do, so she went and approach me. "Wow you suck" Is her first word to me.

"Give me a break..." I gruffly look away from her, opting instead to watch Suika working to fix the courtyard.

"Hey, I'm trying to help you here" Suwako pouted at being ignored.

"Telling me that I suck definitely didn't count as helping"

"Oh? So you think that you did okay just now?"

"..."

"My point exactly" She grinned victoriously before plopping down to sit beside me. "What's your plan?"

"I'm still thinking... but I definitely will need a different approach on this" I replied absentmindedly as I watch Suika work on filling the holes on the ground.

"A different approach?"

Nodding slightly, the gears in my head starts to turn from seeing Suika gather dirt clouds and plugging the holes with them before solidifying the dirt. "Yeah... a drastic one... Hey Suika! Can you come here for a sec?"

Hearing my call, the little oni took a second to create a bunch of mini clones of herself before she came over. "You called?"

"Yeah. I'll need your help on something..."

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**17.11 PM **

"All right then. Ready for round 2?" Kanako asked me from where she's standing across the newly repaired courtyard. The Suika clones did a good job with the patch job since it no longer looked like a danmaku torn battle field.

"Ready as I can be!"

"Ah, that's the spirit! Now let's see if you can deliver. I'd hate to ask that red-white for extra compensation if you do lose this one"

"No you won't"

"Indeed I won't" Openly smirking, Kanako starts floating up once again. Once she reaches a decent height, about 50 feet in the air, she stops and crossed her legs down as if she's sitting in mid air. "I hope you're ready because I won't be holding back like last time"

That was holding back? You're kidding me...

Smirking at my disbelief, Kanako takes out a spell card. "Here we go then" The air crackled with power. **'Weird Festival: Mad Dance on Medoteko' **She didn't say the spell card name out loud, but the name of the card echoed in the air nonetheless. Soon enough the now familiar paper-thin talisman bullets and the exploding laser beams starts to rain down on the area.

Faced with this much fire power, I hesitated for a split second before I turn and bolted.

"Running again? Can't you do anything better than that?"

"Can you stop shooting at me!?" I snap back at her while making a beeline toward a certain spot in the courtyard. If I can just reach that spot I'll have a fighting chance, if not then I'm plain screwed if I'm gonna try that...

Trying for a distraction, I wildly fire some shots at her. These ones have more punch than the ones I fired in the previous round as they manage to stagger Kanako for a second as they smash at her barrier.

"Ho-ho. It seems there's some fight left in you yet. But no matter" As she said that, the ground turns red as waves of laser beams starts to descend down all around me. She got me completely boxed in! The moment those beam hit the ground they'll burst into more bullets and that's game over for me!

Dammit! This is not good...! Is what I would say if I didn't take precaution against this!

Kicking the ground so hard it left cracks; I dashed ahead in a massive burst of speed, clearing the area just as the beams crashed onto the ground.

Skidding to a halt a good distance from where I was I paused for a second to smirk at the surprised look on the Goddess face. She certainly did not expect this since it's impossible for human to do what I just did, but that kind of thing is cakewalk for an Oni!

"_You called?" Suika asked as she approaches. _

_Looking around to make sure that Kanako and Sanae haven't come back yet, I leaned closer to whisper to Suika. "Yeah, I'll need your help on something... but first, can you let me copy you for the next round?"_

"_Sure, I don't mind" She easily answered back. _

"_Thanks, I owe you one Suika" I grin to myself as the beginning of a plan is starting to form in my head. It's daring, and insane, and definitely not Reimu approved. But it just might work... But first, I better copy Suika before anyone saw it. _

Based on previous experience, I should have at least a good 5 minutes before Suika's power fades out and get replaced by Kanako. So I'll need to end this before those 5 minutes is up!

Taking advantage of the lull in Kanako's bullets, I quickly throw another wave of bullets towards her direction before turning around and start running again. Leaving cracks for ever step that I take, I quickly move to the far side of the shrine. Slamming my feet to the ground, I skidded on the floor for the last metre or so.

As I came to a stop, I notice Kanako's assault has begun anew now that she has shaken her surprise off. That leaves me with very little time before her attacks reaches me to pull off the second part of the plan.

Quick drawing the card I've hidden in my chest pocket for faster access, I aimed it not at my current opponent, but to one of the spectators far on the opposite side of the courtyard. **"Shattered Boundary: A Fake Reality in a Delusion"**

Instantly I felt a ridiculous power build up in me. Ow, this actually hurts! I thought Suika exaggerated it a bit much, but she clearly didn't!

"_You want to know about my spell card?" The oni asked me. This is the first time I asked her about it so she didn't reply to it so readily as before. In fact, the question shocks her so much that she nearly looks sober because of it. _

_I'm on my knees as I pleaded to the little oni. "Please! I need a sure fire attack to win against her and you're the only one I can rely on for this"_

"_Hey what about me?" Suwako complained._

"_... I need something the level of Marisa's __**Master Spark**__. You got anything like that?" _

"_Hey! It's not about the size; it's how you use it"_

"_That's a no then. So Suika? Can I please?" _

"_I don't know... Reimu said I shouldn't let you use my cards"_

"_Oh..."_

"_But since you're asking nicely, then sure, why not?" _

"_T-thanks" _

"_Don't sweat it, but you better win okay?"_

"_That's what I intend to do"_

Grunting as I force the swirling energy inside me to my palm, I bellowed out the name of the borrowed spell card. **"Forged Sign: Pandemonium!" **A giant fluctuating orb of energy formed in my hand.

Blanching slightly at the dangerous way the orb is pulsating, I hastily throw it toward Kanako. And just in time too, as a few seconds later the orb's fluctuation gets even worse and it pretty much goes out of control! Dozens if not hundreds of bullets starts to spew out from the orb, effectively blocking Kanako from my sight with the sheer number.

It would probably be a good idea to keep her in sight just in case, but I can't be bothered to do that since the bullets are also coming my way!

"Whoa!" I ducked as one of the larger bullets flew towards me, and many more following behind. This is beyond the level of a random attack; this really is pure, unadulterated Pandemonium! Suika told me it's going to be something like this, but damn, this chaos is beyond anything I could've expected.

Seriously that Suika! She must have been drunk when she came up with this spell card! ... Oh wait, she always is!

As I mentally swore to never use Suika's spell card again, more and more bullets are fast approaching me. Dammit, it would be stupid as hell to get shot down by my own spell card, copied or not. "C'mon... I know you're here somewhere... Any second n-gah!" I bite back a scream as a pair of hands grabs hold of my feet and literally drag me down into the ground with my head barely missing the bullets as it goes under.

Now underground, I open my eyes to see a pair of eyes staring back at me in the dark. "He-he, that's the first time I pulled someone into the ground. It's more fun than I expected" Suwako excitedly told me. Just as planned earlier.

_"You want me to pull you under ground?" Suwako repeated what I said as if she's trying to confirm to herself that she heard me correctly._

_"Only if things went bad" Admittedly, the chance of things went bad is pretty high based on what Suika told me. So better be safe than sorry._

_"... that's the weirdest thing someone ever asked me to do, but it sounded interesting, so I'll do it! How are we doing this though? Should I wait to do it or is it up to me? Do you need a warning or... actually, its more fun if I do it without warning. So yeah..."_

_... I'm starting to regret asking her for help._

I stand corrected I didn't regret it at all! It's a bit cramped down here, heck, I'm forced to curl up just to fit myself in here. It's also pretty dark but it's way better than being shot up out there. "Thanks Suwako, I really appreciate it" I gratefully said to her.

"...No problem" She lightly replied before I felt her head fell forward and landed on my chest.

"S-Suwako-san?" Befuddled by the weird behaviour,I force myself to stay very-very still. If I tensed up now I risk pushing her off me with the strength of an oni, and I don't want to hurt her. "Um... what are you doing?"

She was silent for a few seconds before answering. "...I heard that you like them young, so I waited to see whether you'll try to take advantage of me or not"

"What the hell? Who told you that crap?"

"The Tengu"

"... I'm unsubscribing from their newspaper"

"Yeah... Good luck with that"

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**18.05 PM **

As dusk starts to settle in, I found myself drinking tea with the two Goddesses of the shrine. Well, at least me and Suwako were drinking tea, Kanako opted for something higher on the alcoholic scale.

"Really... you...!" As expected of a Divine Goddess; for someone who took the full brunt of such a chaotic attack, Kanako didn't look any worse for wear as she gulp down on her sake. "Using other people's spell card is bad enough, but you're also getting help from Suwako here. How was that fair?" Maybe it's the alcohol working, but right now she's not much different from a child throwing a tantrum.

"Just let it rest Kanako, he is a special case and you know it" Suwako is all smile as she half-heartedly try to console the pouting Goddess.

"Grh... I'll let you have this win. But next time... just wait until next time..." She's sulking! I just made a Goddess sulk like a kid! Wow, just wow... Sure hope she won't get me back for this. I'm too young for a divine retribution...

As I ponder on whatever karmic retribution I might get, the veranda door slides open. "Sorry for the wait, we've finished with the cleanup" Said Sanae as she and Suika joins us in the veranda having finished with the clean up. Suika can technically do all the work herself thanks to her clones and gathering ability, but the shrine maiden stayed behind with her to act as a supervisor since they only wanted the oni to fix the courtyard, not to give the whole place a makeover.

"That was fast" I commented. The courtyard was in a very bad shape after the whole bullet pandemonium thing; numerous holes on the ground, trees knocked down, pathway torn to pieces... Having it fixed in matter of minutes is nothing short of impressive.

"Say what you want about the Oni, but she's one of the best manual labourers around here" Sanae shrugged in reply. Sitting down next to Suwako and away from the drunk Kanako and Suika, the shrine maiden turns to me.

Stare...

"Um... can I help you?"

"Are you really human?"

I visibly winced at the bluntness of her question. "That's kinda harsh..."

"But seeing what you did earlier does make it hard to accept that you're human. So are you or are you not? I won't tolerate lies here" She suddenly glared at me. Come to think of it, she didn't know anything about my 'copying' thing until just now. So she does have a good reason for being distrustful to me.

Still though, how am I suppose to answer that question of hers? "I-I'm human. Or at least I am right now..."

"Explain"

"Um..."

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**18.27 PM **

"... So it's like me borrowing someone else's stats screen and use them for my own" I try using some gaming term for my explanation. Since the shrine maiden is somewhat of a gamer, she should understand it more easily this way.

"I see..." And as expected, she does understand it! "What about that spell card earlier, that one was borrowed too?"

"Yeah, that one was Suika's originally"

"So you can use any of her spell cards?"

"No, only ones that... I can understand? It's hard to explain, but if I uses example... With Suika here, I only understand that one spell card I use earlier. I know she hasmore spell cards than that one, but those ones I can't quite grasp their concepts. Does that make sense?"

"Somewhat... so if you can 'understand' the spell cards, you can use them all?"

"Not exactly... apparently it only work for one spell card per person"

"What do you mean? I thought you said as long you understand it you can use it"

"I did say that, but... some card just clicks easier for me. And after I use that one the rest becomes unreachable, like there's something blocking me from using them somehow" Suika would later tell me that the mental block came from Reimu's tinkering, but as of right now, I really don't know any better.

"Hm... I see..." Sanae mused to herself. "To be honest though, the more I hear about this the harder it is for me to accept that you're human"

"Guh!" That one really strikes close to the heart. Now that I think about it, there are times that I did stop being 'human', but that doesn't mean I'm no longer human...

"Also, since you're copying other people, you can't really say that your wins are your own right?"

"Urk!" Okay... that one really does stings... I think she just hit me hard at both my pride or ego... and it hurts so bad... "B-but that only proof that I'm still human right?" I weakly replied.

"I suppose that's true, and yet you're still going around doing dangerous things. No wonder Reimu get so annoyed"

"Gwah!" A-a critical hit...! I can't last much longer...!

"And then..." Sanae started to speak again in what most probably be the finishing blow. Thankfully Suwako came to the rescue as she place her hand on the shrine maiden's shoulder, prompting her to stop talking to turn to the Goddess.

"Lay off the poor kid Sanae, you've dealt plenty of damage already" Said Suwako.

"Suwako-sama? What do...?" Turning her attention back to me, Sanae finally saw the damage she's dealt to my oh-so-fragile heart. "S-Shirou-san! I-I didn't mean..." She starts panicking when she notices my state of depression.

"Uu... just finish me off already..."

* * *

><p><strong>Human Village - Home<strong>

**20.01 PM **

"Home sweet home..." I breathe in relief. Slowly rolling my tense shoulder, I went to the kitchen to grab some snacks from the pantry.

Taking a bowl full of dumplings, I absentmindedly wandered to my dining table and plopped down on its chair. "Haaaah... what a day..."

From waking up this morning, I've gotten into a friendly scrap with Meiling, got kidnapped by an Oni, find out that a Living Goddess secretly plays mecha games, bent a few rules to defeat a Goddess, and finally, tucked a sleeping Oni into bed.

... Yeah, that last one is really unnerving.

_It's past afternoon; it's time for me to go home. Considering that I got dragged here for no reason, I really have stayed much longer than expected. "All right, we'll be going now" I bid my farewell to the three that came to see me off. _

"_Come back again soon kid and we'll have another match. Next time I'll be prepared" Said Kanako. _

"_Let's play again Shirou" That's Suwako's farewell._

"_Shirou-san, are you sure you'll be okay?" That one is Sanae. _

"_I'll be fine. I won't get lost if I stay on the road right? No problem then"_

"_... That wasn't what I was talking about" She said worriedly. _

_Heh, I think it's cute of her to be worrying over me like that... Is what I wish I could've said! _

"_Zzz... hehe... my horn is leaking sake... zzz..." A sleeping Suika slurred from where she's perched on my back. She has fallen to a drunken coma earlier and not wanting to trouble the shrine residence any more than we have, I decided to take the Oni home with me._

_... Taking an Oni home... Gods... is this not one of my worst ideas ever..._

Note to self, carry Suika over my shoulder next time. Halfway down the mountain the Oni starts squirming in her sleep. Good thing I use my spell card on her before we left the shrine, else I would've been bent like pretzel before I got snapped into pieces...

"Brr-!" I shudder at the memory.

Good thing that I run into Keine and Mokou outside the village, or was it a bad thing..?

"Brr-!" I shuddered again as I remember the cold stern glare Keine gave me when she saw the sleeping oni on my back. How can such a nice person emit such a dangerous aura...?

Some explanation later, a sighing Keine decide to help me sneak the Oni into the village. I use the word 'sneak' here because that's exactly what we did. Not wanting to turn heads from having an Oni in the midst of the village, Keine told me to hand the sleeping Oni to Mokou who'll fly her directly to my house to avoid attention.

The flame girl looks VERY put off having being told do to that, but she complied nonetheless. With Suika securely under her arms, she flew toward the village with us following from behind.

Keine didn't say much as we walk through the village to my home, but no sooner that we arrive and I close the door behind me, she turn on me and gave me one of her most powerful headbutt ever! It hurt so much that I blacked out for a full minute or two.

One stern lecture about dangerous risk management later, and a promise of further lecture the next time we meet, Keine and Mokou departed from my home, the later hasn't stop smirking from watching me squirm while being lectured by the school teacher.

"Really... what a day..." I muttered the same phrase once again as I lightly rub my forehead which was in the receiving end of a very painful headbutt not 20 minutes ago.

Seriously, how did Keine manage to inflict so much pain from a simple headbutt? That's just—"Brr!" I suddenly shivered, rather violently too as a gust of cold wind seems to have hit my back.

Okay... that was kinda creepy... wonder what- "Brr!" I shivered uncontrollably as an icy cold breeze rans through me.

R-Really now, why have I been shivering nonstop this past minute!? And why am I suddenly feeling cold? It's a hot humid night out there, so how-ack! I nearly choked on the dumpling when a pair of hands wrapped around me from behind and yank me backward. As I fall, I spot a sliver of blonde hair on the corner of my vision.

"Dammit Yuka-!" I fell through a familiar portal...

* * *

><p><strong>Hakugyokurou<strong>

**20.06 PM **

... And I fell out of a familiar portal. "Gwah!" The airs in my lungs were forcefully expelled as I landed back first on solid ground.

Feeling disoriented from the sudden 'gapping', I was ill prepared when my face gets pushed into something soft and squishy... and cold. "Kuro! Long time no see!" I heard a familiar cheerful voice came from directly above my head before my head get stuffed further between... Ack, can't breathe, need air!

Lungs screaming in pain, I haphazardly try to shake my head clear to no avail. Dammit! How can something that's not supposed to have mass have so much mass!? Heeeelp!

"Just a reminder, but breathing is a necessity Yuyuko"

"And?"

"... Just let him go before it no longer become a necessity for him"

"Okay"

Feeling the suffocating mass backing away, I quickly fall to the ground and start heaving heavily. Honestly, a second close encounter with death for the second time in a day. This better not be a habit...

"Well now..." I glance to Yukari as she starts speaking. "Suffocation aside, did you enjoy that experience?" She teasingly asked me.

"... I would say no, but that'd be lying" I groaned, feeling tired and strangely refreshed from the ordeal. Seriously, a situation straight out from a manga, I don't know whether to be happy or sad now that it's over. "So? What did you want Yukari?"

"My, straight to the point. Since when did you become so direct Shirou?"

That teasing tone of her...! Dammit she's insufferable! "Just answer the question, please" I added the last part as an afterthought. Annoying as she is, Yukari is still a powerful Youkai after all.

"Well if you insist..." She smugly grinned before answering. "Someone here has a job for you"

"Huh?" I tilted my head questioningly at Yukari, who in turn shakes her head before glancing at the ghost princess who floated around me.

"Yes! You have to help me Kuro! It's a crisis!" The ghost princess is nearly in tears as she said this, a big contrast to her happy-go-lucky attitude from not a minute earlier. "Youmu has... Youmu has..."

"Whoa slow down. What happened to Youmu?"

"Youmu has... She has... She stopped buying snacks for me!"

Blinking once, blinking twice, no one's thrown the punchline yet... Oh wait she's serious. "Huh?"

"Youmu's not buying any more snacks! There are no more snacks!" Ignoring the blank stares she's getting from both me AND Yukari, Yuyuko keeps bawling her eyes out. "She said it's for my own good, to train my self control. But she's wrong! I've got plenty of self control! But I need my snacks to maintain my self control!"

"Right..." I don't think it's as big of a deal as Yuyuko made it to be, but I agreed with her anyway since it's easier. "So? What do you want me to do about it? I don't think I can convince Youmu to start buying snacks for you again" The half-ghost crosses me as a rather prideful girl so I doubt she'll change her mind easily.

"Can you buy me snacks instead?"

"...I refuse"

"Eeh!? Why not!? Please Kuro! I'm gonna die without my snacks!"

"But you're already dead!"

"Uu... Kuro is a bully..." Yuyuko puffed her checks while glaring at me. It doesn't look threatening at all, but it does make me pity her...

"W-well... even if I wanted to help, I can't just come here at will. So..."

"Leave that problem to me" Surprisingly, Yukari is the one who just said that.

"Seriously?"

"Of course I'm serious. I'll just leave an open path between your home and Hakugyokurou. It'll be a simple task... and a much better alternative than having my sleep interrupted just so I can bring you here..." She ended her musing with a heavy yawn. Now that I took a closer look at her, she got bags under her eyes and she looks sleepy as heck. "I'll need a medium to maintain a steady path. Yuyuko, can I have that mirror over there?" She pointed to a large full body mirror on the corner of the room.

"Everything as long I get my snacks"

Placing her palm on the mirror, Yukari uninterestedly glance at me before smirking. "Heh, sure. He'll do it right?"

"H-huh? Who said I'll..."

"Stop complaining and just do it. Since when can you say no to a girl anyway?"

God dammit she's right! "Dammit Yukari!"

The gap youkai expertly ignore my outburst as the surface of the mirror in front of her starts rippling. "And that's done. Quite nicely done for a rough patch up job if I do say so myself. Anyway, I got other places to be before going back to bed, so with that said, have a good day you two" She was swallowed by her gap as soon as she finishes saying that.

"Hey Yukari, wait!" And she's gone without a trace. "And... she didn't listen. Why am I not surprised..." Sighing at the Youkai's annoying behaviour, I turn to look at the mirror Yukari was working on. "So... does this really works?"

"Of course it will silly" Yuyuko answered back without missing a beat.

"How can you be sure?"

"My gut tells me it'll work, so it'll work for sure"

I can't help but to sighed heavily at the optimism/naivety of the ghost princess. Such hasty thought process. She's just too much of a free spirit, both figuratively and literally.

"Yuyuko-sama?" Suddenly I heard a voice calling out from the distance. It sounded familiar...

"Oh-no! Youmu's coming! Hurry up Shirou!"

"Huh? Hurry for what?"

"Don't forget my snacks okay?"

"Wait, you don't me-gwah!" A sudden force suddenly pushed me forward, sending me plummeting straight to the mirror.

Closing my eyes just as I about to hit the mirror, I felt a wave of coldness washes over my body before I landed on something solid. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw the still sleeping Suika snoring on the floor. I'm back home!

Turning to where I assume I was thrown out from, I spotted a mirror identical to the one I was just thrown into hanging on the wall. Ignoring my reflections looking back at me, I carefully touched the mirror surface with my fingers and quickly withdrew it when my fingers start to sink into it.

"Well I'll be damned... it actually worked..." I can't stop the amazement from sneaking into my voice. So now I have a mirror that leads to the after life... really, what a day...

* * *

><p><strong>Moriya Shrine<strong>

**22.30 PM **

Suwako is humming. Perched on top of the shrine's rooftop, she silently sings along with the sound of the night. The sound of the chirping crickets, the croaking frogs, the rustling leaves, and other odd noises from the neighbouring tengu, all combined into one symphony that lifted the weary spirit of the Amphibian God.

But then she detects another presence with her in the rooftop and she stops singing.

"Beautiful isn't it?" The intruder said while gazing upward to the moonlit sky. "Such scenery is a rarity in the outside world"

"So I've been told" Keeping her gaze on the hill before her, Suwako dryly remarked. "What do you want? Kanako is already asleep so you should come back tomorrow if you need anything"

"Ah, yes of course. It's only proper to talk to the official Goddess of the shrine if I have something to discuss. But unfortunately, what I'm here for is not addressable through the normal means"

"... It's about him isn't it?"

"Fu-fu-fu. I was told by a certain cat that the person she's keeping her eyes on decided to put his trust to one of the Goddess of this shrine"

"..."

"Here's a funny thing about trust; it could have many meanings depending on the recipient. Between one friend and another, it would become the bond that strengthens their friendship. Between husband and wife, it would amount as the love the two shares. Between mortal enemies, and it would become the chain of hatred that defines their relationship"

"... and to a God, it became Faith, where humans bare himself open to God so that he may receive their blessings"

"Indeed. Everything that he is, would become known to said God, even the things that he's unaware of"

"..."

"..."

The sound of the night ceases to be as a heavy silence seemingly befalls the entire mountain. Smaller animals hide in the ground, wind ceases to blow, and even the distant sound of the Tengus seems to have quieted down.

"What do you want from me?" She asked with narrowed eyes.

"The better question is; what can I do for you? Surely there are some things that you want answered now that you've gleamed on the truth, which is why I'm offering to answer the many questions that you have"

She really did not anticipate that response, but as surprised as she is, she knows better than to take what this youkai says at face value. "Is this your idea of damage control? Hiding the truth under more truth?"

"Think of it as you will. But the offer stands; ask and I shall answer"

"... How generous of you" Suwako muttered. Thinking back on it, she never really expected for the boy to put that much trust in her. So when she dragged him under to avoid the bullet pandemonium, his trust and gratitude combined into a strong Faith that was directly aimed at her.

It nearly overwhelms her.

It has been a very long time since she receives faith from someone beside Sanae. And since it came directly to her without going through Kanako as per usual, she was caught unprepared for it. Before she realizes it, everything that he is becomes known to her and the sudden rush of knowledge makes her head spins.

The boy was confused when she dazedly clung to him, but she managed to recover quick enough to hide it.

The things she learned about the boy confused her, which is why she went out to the rooftop at midnight; to sort through her findings. Now, she was visited by this youkai who offered to tell her everything she wanted to know about him... How jealous the tengu would be if they ever find out... he-he.

But still...

"It's fine. You don't have to tell me anything" There's a sense of satisfaction when she saw the youkai fumbled slightly at her answer. She clearly did not expect that. "I don't know what plan you have for him, and neither do I want to know. But what I do know is that you have your reason for doing what you did"

Seeing that the youkai have nothing to reply with, Suwako continues on. "I'll keep quiet of course; you have my word on that. But just know that he has gained my favour, so I won't stand still if worse come to worst"

That is a strong claim from the Amphibious God. The number of people who have her favour can be counted with one hand, and even then there would still be fingers to spare.

Before her bold declaration, the youkai was stupefied for a full 3 seconds before she burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! That's good! I like that!" She laughed so hard that she would've woken up the entire mountain if it wasn't for the boundary that she put up to block up their conversation. "Haha...ha..."

Suwako waited patiently until the youkai got her breath back after laughing so hard.

"So this is the real face of The Master of the Cursed Ones. We might have more in common than I thought"

"We might've had"

"'Had' huh? Are you sure about that?"

"That's not t-"Turning to face the intruder for the first time since they start talking, she saw nothing but dark shadows as the sound of the mountain resumes in the background. Shaking her head, she hopped down from the roof. Landing in a crouch, she gave the night sky one last look. "I am nothing like you... no longer..." And that is the truth, for that old-self has ceases to be on that rainy day, when she took hold of that tiny hand for the first time so many years ago.

Shaking her head to clear the memory, she decided to call it a night and head to bed.

And ever since then, the Youkai Mountain ceases to be dangerous to the freelancer.

* * *

><p><em>What is God's blessing? How do you define such divine feat? There's no easy answer for that since such gift are beyond us humans. Even then, many has attempted to define it in their words. What I write here is by no mean defines my religious belief nor does it should be adopted by others. <em>

_-MaelstormCaT-Trying to sound wise and awesome-Or at least copying Zun's wordplay style and failing badly at it-_

**Important AN:Just a few things to clarify about Shirou gaining Suwako's Favor. My understanding of Suwako is her as The Goddess That Governs the Land That Men Tread Upon, and she does so through any means she saw fit (Once again trying to sound ZUN like here). So, her favour/blessing means that Shirou will be protected whenever he tread on the Youkai mountain and the area surrounding it since that's where Suwako's Authority is the strongest in Gensokyo. Of course there are other benefits from her blessings, but they're mostly involve his affinity with the earth. Some example are: The ground parted ways easier whenever he's tilting them, Less pest on crops that he care for, things like that. It's pretty minor, but my understanding of Suwako is that she's but a shadow of her former self. I actually think that Sanae have more divine power than her if we take account of the faith that she garnered in Gensokyo. Of course I could be wrong, but I think this interpretation is not completely out of whack with the canon, so please tolerate it even if you didn't belief it.**

**Also, I won't abandon this story so rest assured. I already planned the ending completely after all, and its way too epic to not be written down. **

**Anway! I'll try to throw the next one faster this ****time. I already got a rough idea of what it'll be about, but it might be shorter than usual... but then again... we'll see. One thing for sure though, it'll address the repercussion of Shirou now possessing an open pathway to Hakugyokurou. I admit it sounded a bit far-fetched, using a mirror as a connecting pathway, but I really like Yuyuko and Youmu and I wanted to write more things surrounding the two.**

**Read and review as always. And I'm very sorry if I mess up any of the characters personality.**

****Extra Disclaimer: I don't own Super Robot Wars... no matter how much I wish otherwise. The things I could write about that series... haaaaah... ****

********PS: any guesses on what knowledge that Suwako finds out about Shirou? Its clearly pretty major since Yukari get involved because of it. If anyone can guess it correctly I'll offer the same thing that Yukari offers Suwako; all question answered regarding Shirou. Tempting no? I'll leave move cookie crumbs as the story progress, so keep your eyes open. ^_^********


	17. Day 64: Greed Is Good?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou!**

**PC got 'Kyuun'ed' ad Kaboom it goes. Lost a ton of stuff because of that, both important and not important. So yeah... my bad. I should have kept a more up-to-date backup.**

**FYI, for this story, I lost the planned next chapter, a bunch of drafts for future chapter, and a final draft of the FINAL chapter. Losing all that really make me lost interest in writing for a while ;p.**

**Anyway, this chapter is something I wrote to rekindle my interest for this story. I think it came out pretty well? Please review and tell me what you think ok? If there's any grammar mistakes or if you spot something that needs more clarification or downright doesn't make sense, please PM me and I'll fix them. Ok? Ok! So without further ado;**

**Day 64: Greed is Good?**

* * *

><p><strong>9.38AM<strong>

Out of the three places of worship in Gensokyo, no one can deny that the Myouren Temple is the one with the highest visitor rate. Conveniently placed less than a stone's throw away from the village, the temple has become the chosen place of worship for most of the human in the Gensokyo. For that reason, after climbing the temple's stairs, I was greeted with the sight of no small amount of people wandering about in the temple grounds with only a small number of priests and priestesses trying their best to attend to them.

"Well this is just great..." I grumble slightly at the crowd in front of me. It's not crowded by per se, but still, but with the few attendants in the temple, I will have to wait for quite some time before it is my turn.

"Hm..." Looking around the temple courtyard for an alternative, I spotted it in the form of a droopy eared girl who's idly sweeping the ground while quietly mumbling to herself. She's clearly not human judging from her ear, but she didn't have any claw or fangs, so she seems safe enough.

Taking one last look at the crowd, I silently move away from them and toward the bored looking youkai.

"Excuse me..."

As I call out to her, the girl snapped out of her daydreaming in surprise and wildly looks around before she notices me. As soon as she did, the clouds hanging over her head cleared up almost instantly as she turns toward me. "Ya-Ho! Hey there!"

"Uh... Hi. Do you work here?"

"Indeed I am. I might not look like it, but I'm a priestess-in-training here at the temple. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Oh? I thought she's just a worker here, but a priestess-in-training? How weird, I never know that a youkai could become a priestess. "In that case, I'm hoping I can find something that can repel ghosts"

"You're looking for repellent charms? You can buy some over there." She pointed to one of the kiosk set up around the temple.

"Yeah... I've bought one yesterday already, but I don't think it worked..." Putting my hand into my pocket, I took out an inscribed paper talisman. It's the same ones as the one sold here, only this one is burnt around the edges. "I'll need something stronger, something that can fend off a really hungry ghost."

"... how hungry are we talking here?"

"Very hungry."

"..."

"...?"

"Byakuren-sama!"

* * *

><p><strong>10.11AM<strong>

"So what's this I'm hearing about you being possessed by ghosts?" Byakuren amusedly asked me. She came by pretty fast, but that's to be expected when the one calling her is screaming bloody murder for the whole temple to hear.

"I wasn't possessed" I rubbed my head in annoyance. That little priest-in-training had completely misunderstood my explanation. According to her, I'm just an empty husk of a man that had his soul devoured by a hungry spirit. And after I just told her that I'm looking for a ghost ward... was she half asleep or something?

"Nevertheless, for this talisman to be burnt out like this... What sort of spirits are you dealing with?"

What kind of spirit you ask? Well...

"_Kuro! The napkin is burning! Where's the water, quick!"_

Thank the Gods that my brain snapped out from the surreal situation fast enough to prevent her from dumping the burning charm into Suika's sake jar. Another second later and I'd end up in an unsalvageable situation as my house burn to the ground... along with everything in the 2 miles radius.

"She's a one of a kind spirit"

Hearing my curt answer, Byakuren's eyebrows raised the slightest bit before she exasperatedly shakes her head. "That's not really an answer Shirou-san"

I'm sorry! But that's the best answer I can come up with! And surely everyone who has met Yuyuko would agree with me!

Ignorant of the inner monologue in my head, Byakuren continue speaking. "Anyway, this charm is all but useless in this state. Considering the strength of this charm, perhaps you'd have better luck dealing with this spirit with an exorcism."

"Exorcism... wouldn't that kill the spirit?"

In reply to my question, Byakuren calmly shakes her head. "It is impossible to take a life from one that is no longer among the living. Instead, an exorcism would ease the spirit to move on from this world, releasing them from their ghostly state in this world." Putting down the burnt talisman, she then focused her entire gaze towards me. "It is the most sought out solution by many, and I strongly believe it would also work for your problem as well."

"That's not an option!" The thought of having Yuyuko exorcised leaves such a disgusting feeling in my mouth that I blurted out my refusal before the idea even reached my brain.

In response to my outburst, Byakuren is as calm as ever though she regards me with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "That's a very strong refusal. Are you sure you're not possessed?"

"Huh? Um... I'm pretty sure?"

At my weak response, Byakuren regarded me with highly critiquing eyes. "As a priest, don't you think it would be improper of me to leave this issue unconfirmed?"

"Well... yes, but I'm really not possessed." I argued back.

"You might think that you're not, but strong spirits can easily befuddle the mind to hide its presence." She sternly told me. "Hm... please stay still for a moment." Saying that, she reached into the hems of her robe and pulled out... a card?

My body already stumbled backward before my brain can properly identify the paper thin object.

"Shirou-san?" Because of my reaction, a surprised Byakuren whips around bringing the paper in her hand in full view.

... It's just a normal paper talisman. Phew, for a second there I thought she pulled out a spell card. Thinking about it, Byakuren is not Reimu. She won't start blasting around without any reason. Right off course she won't.

"Evil spirits begone!"

"Eep!" I moved out of the way as a small light bullet flew towards me. Looking up, I saw Byakuren holding an open palm towards me while her other hand holds the talisman. "What was that for?" I asked a bit heatedly.

"No more deception. I'll say this one more time, Begone spirit!"

"W-why are you...?" The answer came to me before I can even finish my sentence. It was my over reaction to the talisman. It looked like I was scared of it! Small wonder why Byakuren decided that I really am possessed.

As I thought about this, I have to evade more light bullets that came at me. The bullets seem pretty weak based on its speed and intensity, most probably because Byakuren doesn't want to make a mess of the room we're in. That's good; I can evade these while trying to convince her that I'm NOT possessed! Should be something even I can do, as long as nothing surprising happens.

"What an unsightly sight. This cat and mouse game is rather unbecoming of you"

A voice suddenly echoed through the room. Both Byakuren and I stop moving as we turn our focus on this unknown voice. Where is it coming from? It's definitely from somewhere in this room, but I can't make heads or tails of its origin. Heck, I can't even determine the gender of the speaker. The voice is too... um... it's... "Gwah!" I fell forward as something rammed me from behind. Landing on a tumbling heap, I struggled to get this... person off me, but it soon to be proven useless as my assailant easily pinned me down with strength alone.

"And that is how you catch a mouse" The voice, now I can identify as a girl's, said smugly from behind my back.

"Nue!" Byakuren said in a surprised voice.

"Hey yourself. " The girl smug tone filled my ears.

Turning my head to look behind me, I saw a lithe form draped in a small black dress. Small as she looks, she still manages to hold me down, quite effortlessly too from the looks of it.

"What are you doing here?" A surprisingly heated Byakuren glared at the girl

"I was here first before you came in, so shouldn't that be my question?" Apparently the girl was hiding from the sun glare inside the room when we entered. Seeing a potentially interesting situation, she hid herself in the room and gotten herself an exclusive view of all the proceedings. "...And then I saw an opportunity, so I intervened"

Byakuren is shaking her head lightly as she listened. "Ignoring your rough handling of the situation... I appreciate the help. Do me a favour and hold him still while I go and get Kyouko" Giving me a mixed look, Byakuren then stands up and make for the exit. "By the way, I can believe the last part of your story, but I find it hard to believe that you were in here since the start. You're not one to idly stay indoors, so I think it is more likely that you sneaked in after, and not before."

"Aw... You just know me that well don't you" The sarcasm flow out like a waterfall out of the girl's mouth, but it fails to affect Byakuren ever the slightest as she calmly slides the door open. Seeing that she fails to capture her attention, the girl decided to switch to a different tactic. Holding my left arm in place, she grabbed on to my shoulder. And then...!

**_*Snap!_**

"Gyaaaaaaah!"

"Nue!"

"Oh, my bad. I'll go ahead and fix it real quick."

"W-wait! You can't ju-"

"Too late"

**_*Snap!_**

* * *

><p><strong>10.51 AM<strong>

With her ears twitching for every sound I make, Reisen carefully rubs her palm on my swollen shoulder. "How does it feel Shirou-san?" She gently asked me.

"Haaah... It feels numb, but it's getting better" I answered while gingerly opening and closing my left hand.

I'm so thankful that Reisen was already in the village doing rounds while selling Eintei's medicines, hence why it only took a short time for Byakuren's people to bring her to the temple to treat my injury.

One quick examination later and she found out that my dislocated shoulder was set back in improperly. We end up popping my shoulder back out again so that Reisen can put it back properly. The pain... Oh the pain... so very glad it's over...

"Okay, try lifting your arm slightly."

Doing as I was told to, I force my numb shoulder to work and lifted my left arm a few inches up. Reisen use the opportunity to roll a bandage around and quickly works on wrapping it tightly around my injured shoulder.

As my medical treatment neared its end, so does too my 'spiritual' treatment as Byakuren puts it. That youkai priest-in-training I met earlier, Kyouko I think her name is, finally stops her recital of the Buddhist sutra.

Lightly clapping her hands, she bowed her head to the floor before taking a deep breath of air, something she desperately need after reciting numerous verses of the sutras for nonstop for the past 30 minutes or so. With her task completed, she glances at Byakuren who replied back with a small nod of her head.

"Nicely done. Thank you Kyouko. You may return to your other duties"

"As you wish" Lowering her head to Byakuren, the girl quietly left the room.

I waited a few seconds after she left before opening my mouth. "See? I told you I'm not possessed."

Byakuren took a few seconds examining me before she answers. "Indeed you aren't. Please forgive my hasty assumption, but I need to be sure"

"It's okay. No harms do-ack!" I yelped as Reisen tighten the bandages around my shoulder.

The flare of pain from my shoulder completely throws what I was going to say out of the window. As it stands, I did get hurt just now, very painfully too if I might add.

"I deeply apologize. I should've known better than to ask Nue to hold you down. Such an error of my judgement..."

"I-it's okay... maybe? It's going to be okay right?"

In reply to my question, there's a barely audible sigh behind me followed by a sharp tug on the bandages. Gritting my teeth to suppress the screaming pain receptor in my brain, I heard Reisen disapprovingly muttered, "I'm not my master, but I believe your shoulder was in danger of getting heavily deformed because of the improper way it was set back"

"... But its fine now, right?"

"It'll be sore for a few hours, but it'll be fine"

"Right. In that case, no hard feeling then" This time around there's two near synchronous sigh in response to what I said. I expected one from Reisen, but Byakuren too? "What do you want me to say?! It's unhealthy to hold grudges to youkai you know."

"That... is true... but still..."

What Reisen was going to say I would never know, for at that very moment, someone decided to makes her presence known. "You're so pathetic" A voice as sharp as a knife cuts deep right through the air.

"Huh?" Following the origin of the voice, I turn my head to the far corner of the room where a lithe form is squatting unnoticed until now. Using a dark metallic spear as a support, the girl wordlessly effortlessly push herself up from the ground and approaches me, her dark short dress swaying slightly by every step she took.

The girl's sudden appearance is bizarre enough, but adding her uniquely shaped wings, right side red metallic and left side blue arrow like tails, she definitely holds my attention. And that voice of hers... I know that voice... I heard it not too long ago...

Byakuren is quick to put herself between me and the girl. "Nue! I thought you left already?"

The girl didn't reply back to Byakuren. In fact, she downright ignores her! "Such a feeble looking kid. I expected more from the infamous freelancer" Her voice cut even sharper than before as she grins predatorily towards me.

"Uu..." The word rings badly in my ears. I never consider myself to be a chiselled model of perfection, but still... feeble looking? "Is that why you snapped my shoulder? Because you think I look weak?"

"That, and I like watching people squirm" The big grin on her face as she says this brings chill down my spine.

... Looks like I've met another dangerous one.

"Nue behave!"

"Oh I'm behaving. I'm behaving real nice right now." If this is her being nice then what is she like when she's not being nice?! As if she's sensing my fear, this girl, Nue, turn her gaze onto me. "Aww, are you scared? I won't bite, for now..."

She's eyeing me like Yuyuko eyeing a sweet snack! Somebody get me from here!

"Excuse me, I've finished here. If there's nothing else I'll be taking my leave now."

"W-wait! I'm coming too!"

* * *

><p><strong>12.01 PM<strong>

It's midday already. The sun is high up and the heat is starting to swelter in this blistering summer day. Having left the Myouren Temple behind, I now fall victim to the searing attack from that big bullet in the sky... Gods, why is today so hot!

Reasonable people in the village have all hid themselves indoor to escape the sun glare, and at this time of day most did so under the pretense of lunch. Yes it is now lunch time, my stomach is rumbling, my pocket jingling with coins, and my favorite eatery in sight... and it's jammed packed with people. "Ah dammit." Grumbling to myself, I am forced to wait outside in the sweltering heat until there's seat vacated inside. I was hoping to beat the lunch hour, but unfortunately the business at Myouren Temple took much longer than expected. "So hot... I'm actually tempted to go to the lake and let that ice fairy turn me into an ice cube."

"Please don't. You've already hurt your shoulder twice today. Do you want to add hypothermia to the list as well?"

Glancing to my right, I saw Reisen shaking her head in a disapproving manner. Both she and I are currently taking cover from the heat under the shade of a big tree. "Between that and heat stroke... tough choice really"

"No it's not. Hypothermia is harmful to the body and it could kill you." She snapped back at me. "Just endure the heat like everybody else and stop whining"

Ouch, harsh words there. Must be the heat affecting her... I think.

"I'm not whining... I'm just randomly stating the obvious." If I was looking at her eyes, I probably would've got my eyes burned by the heated gaze she's giving me. Thankfully I'm not looking at her eyes, so I only felt the burning heat from her glare... but that's probably just the sun. "A-anyway, are you hungry? We can get something from the food stalls there." It doesn't look like the eatery will empty out anytime soon, so might as well go for something else.

"Anything's fine..."

"Right... I'll be back in a bit"

Reisen replied with a tired grunt. It looks like she has no intention to move from the shades any time soon so the heat must be affecting her more than I thought. Giving the exhausted rabbit one last look-over, I hurriedly went to the closest food vendor.

"Welcome! Just one moment please" The man behind the stall greeted me with a big smile on his face. He's grilling some skewered meat on a hot iron surface. The smell is quite tempting, even in this heat. In less than a minute, the skewers are off the grill and placed inside a paper bag which the owner gave to the man in front of me. As the man paid him the coins and left, the owner turns towards me once more. "Now then, what can I get you?"

"I don't know... what's good?"

"Everything is good!" Wow, this guy waste no time and went straight for the selling pitch. Not bad. "Which one do you want? Chicken or rabbit?"

"... huh?"

"I said, chicken or rabbit?"

No sooner did the owner say that, a cold dread filled the air. A wave of nausea hits me in droves and I nearly fell down from the feeling. Using every remaining thought process that remains, I force myself to speak. "Chicken! Definitely chicken!"

The sickly feeling lifted up pretty quickly after that. As my head slowly cleared up, I notice the vendur guy looking sickly pale, a sharp contrast to his hearty appearances just seconds ago.

"C-chicken... H-here, just take it." The man grabbed a handful of yakitori skewers, shoved them into a bad before forcing it into my hand.

"...Thanks." My head still dizzy, I randomly grab the coins in my pocket and gave them all to the man. The man took the money without any further words.

Minutes later I handed a small bag of yakitori skewers to Reisen. As we dug into our meal, neither she nor I say a word to each other.

It's not until we finished our meal when Reisen handed me a small medicinal pill. "It'll suppress your headache" She said to me.

I only paused for a second before I readily gulp down the medicine. Seriously, whatever happened to me earlier is still haunting my head. The ghostly pain from having my rationality being eroded makes for a unique and disturbing headache.

Gulping the medicine down with some water, my headache all but evaporated almost instantly. "Ah... so much better" Feeling relaxed now that the headache is gone, I watched Reisen stands up and gave the same vendor from earlier the same medicine too. The man looks both thankful and scared at the gesture, not that I can blame him. After paying Reisen for the medicine, the man quickly close up shop and high tail it out of sight.

As the rabbit comes back and sits down under the shades once more, I decided it's about time I ask her about what just happened. "What was that just now?"

"... That was my mistake." She said sheepishly. 'When I heard that the man was grilling rabbits I reacted. You weren't supposed to be caught in it."

I see... so I was hit by a misfire...

Wait, does that means she was intentionally targeting the shop owner?! This docile looking rabbit suddenly no longer look so docile to me. "But hang on; I wasn't looking at your eyes, so how was I affected?"

"Who said I need to make eye contact?"

"Um... it was Eirin if I remember right. Was she lying?"

"No, master wasn't lying. My eyes can be dangerous indeed... if I wanted them to be"

"What does that mean? You can turn it on and off?"

"Not exactly... Contrary to what people thinks, looking at my eyes does not cause madness. They were just means for the ends."

"Meaning...?"

To my confused looks, Reisen let out a small giggle. "Think on this no more. Even if you know the answer, there is nothing you can do about it. Just be glad that you've never done anything that warrants a punishment from me."

Yeah, lucky me...

That settles it. No rabbit meat for me ever! So please leave my sanity the way it is thank you very much!

* * *

><p><strong>05.11 PM<strong>

Having parted with Reisen who have left for home, I am now heading to the next destination in my mind. The reddish sun in the far distance cast a long shadow in my sight, which I welcomed heartily as it raises the difficulty for someone or something to sneak up behind me. Unfortunately, even with the added security this small walk outside of the village still have its risk. So there's a not very small sense of relief as I reached my destination.

Ignoring the display of junk in the stores perimeter, I walked to the entrance and opened the door. The familiar chime sound hit my ear as I walked through the door. "Welcome" I heard the Rinnosuke's voice echoing from the back of the store with the owner nowhere in sight. "I'll be with you in just a moment. Just find a seat somewhere."

What a thing to be said to a customer. And with the store being messy as usual, where am I supposed to sit down?

"Hey Shirou! Fancy seeing you here."

"Ugh, really?"

"... How do you do"

W-what is this gathering in front of me? What are Marisa and Reimu doing here? And an even bigger surprise, what is Sakuya doing here?!

Letting my eyes wander over the shop, I sighed in relief when I didn't saw the maid's first mistress.

"Come and sit with us. You want some tea?" Aggressive as usual, Marisa didn't wait and start pushing me toward where the three were sitting down at the small living space in the back. I'm pretty sure that area is not intended for customers to loiter about, but the three do not seem to pay heed to the property invasion. Heck, Sakuya is doing some cleaning for some reason. Is she doing it because of the maid instinct that is deeply ingrained within her?

"So? What are you doing here?" Reimu waste no time and start questioning me.

"Why you ask? Am I not allowed to be here?"

"I never said that. Didn't I tell you that you can do whatever as long you doesn't get eaten?"

"Funny, it must've slipped my mind"

As me and Reimu slip into our usual banter, a confused maid turns to the grinning witch for answer. "It's how those two greet each other. Pay no heed to it." Amidst the growingly loud 'greetings', the witch calmly bit down on a mochi that she got from somewhere. "Hey this is good. Sakuya, do you want one?"

"... No thank you. I've eaten already"

"Okay. More for me then." No sooner the witch said that, the two remaining mochi on the plate all but disappear from sight.

Taking a break from talking, my mouth is stuffed full of sweet goodness as I chewed and swallowed down the tasty treat. Reimu did the same though she ate hers in a slightly more reserved manner.

"Damn, me and my big mouth" Marisa sadly lamented the now empty plate. "You two better pay me back for what you just ate"

"Agreed. And the same applies to you too Marisa." At the voice, we all turn towards the shop counter where a very displeased Rinnosuke looking back at us. Arms crossed and mouth stretched thin, this shop owner is all business, and not the kind that entails customer service.

"Aw come on, it's just some mochi" Marisa tried pleading with the shop owner.

Rinnosuke shakes his head. "You know everything in this store has a price Marisa, so pay up."

"Grh... Fine..." A reluctant Marisa finally conceded and took out a pouch of money from her sleeves.

Huh... that's funny. That pouch looks a lot like the one I'm using. Both the colour and the bulkiness, it's near identical...

... Oh you thieving witch!

Jumping to my feet, I rushed forward and take hold of Marisa's wrist. The magician yelped in surprise as I swiped the coins in her hand and the money pouch back. "Here's for my share" I handed a third of the coins that was in Marisa's hand to Rinnosuke and put the remaining back in the pouch.

As I pocketed the money pouch, Marisa audibly clicked her tongue. "Damn-uh, I mean, Hey Shirou, let me borrow some money"

... Is she serious? What kind of question was that? Of course the answer would be a resolute "No."

"Pretty please?"

"I said no."

"Stingy..." Marisa grumbled as I make it clear that I won't be lending her any money. With that said, she now turns her attention to another. "Hey, can I-"

""No"" Both Sakuya and Reimu shot her down without missing a beat.

"Haaah... what is this unfair treatment..." Scratching her head, the magician finally gave up and stops asking people for money. Turning to face the shop owner once again, she gave him a great big smile. "Put it in my tab."

Rinnosuke's eye brows shot up so high it nearly reaches his chin. Taking a second to push up his glasses, he sighed deeply. "And when is this tab going to stop piling up and start decreasing?"

"Aw come on. It's only a few yen. It barely adds much?"

"If I get a yen every time you said that..." Complaining as he was, Rinnosuke end up doing as Marisa said.

Later on I asked Rinnosuke about Marisa's tab, and the amount I heard is staggering. I'm sure that I can live easy with that much money for a year or two.

* * *

><p><strong>05.49 PM<strong>

"How's that store still in business?" I complained. When I told Rinnosuke that I was there to window shop, he gave me exactly four minutes to do so before unceremoniously kicking me out of the store. How rude...

"Get use to it. It won't be the last time it'll happen to you." Reimu shot back. She along with Marisa was also kicked out of the store at the same time as me so right now we're all walking back to the village. Well... I'm walking, Reimu and Marisa is hovering along side me.

The look those two gave me when I suggested for them to walk... Haaah...

"Yeah, I realized that two visits ago. Remind me why I kept coming back there?"

"How am I supposed to know?" Reimu muttered.

"He-he, but you learn something new this time right?" Marisa chirped up. When I shot her a confused look, she grinned even wider. "If you want to stay on Rinnosuke's good side, then you should do as the maid did; go in, get what you need, and get out before he kicks you out."

She's not wrong there. I stole a look at the quiet maid who's been walking along with me; in her hands is a pair of red and pink umbrellas. As Marisa said, she's the only one out of the group who didn't get the door slammed in front of her face.

Noticing my eyes on her, Sakuya turns to looks directly to me. "What is it?"

"Uh... it's nothing. Sorry..." This maid really doesn't cut any corners. Her attitude is as sharp as those knives she carries if not sharper.

As I fumble around from being subjected to the maid's piercing gaze, Reimu spoke up again. "Hey Sakuya, what do you need those umbrellas for? I thought Remilia has plenty in the mansion."

"Indeed there was. But unfortunately a large number of them were destroyed during one of the young mistress' episode." She's shaking her head as if to shake the bad memory away. "By the way, the mistress blames the incident on you Shirou-san."

"Huh? But I haven't been to the mansion for some days now. How was that my fault?"

"According to Remilia-sama, it's exactly because you haven't visiting that the young mistress becomes restless."

"Are you kidding me...?" I pinched my forehead as to stave off the incoming headache. So she's telling me to stop by the mansion more? What a pain...

It's not that I don't want to visit Flandre. But the thing about vampires is that they're mostly active during night time. Some of my jobs take place in the morning and I would prefer to have a full night rest if I could.

"I understand that you have your own obligations in the village, but I would ask that you give some more time to the little mistress. At least once a week would be suitable."

"Uu... Can't Marisa play with her instead of me? Flan's also keen on her right?" Some days ago I visited the mansion at the same time as Marisa was sneaking in. When Flandre laid her eyes on the magician, she all but squealed and tried to tackle the magician. It's a good thing Marisa managed to evade the tiny missile at the last second, it spared her from having her back snapped in two, though the same can't be said for the marble pillar that the eager vampire smashed through.

"Me? But she's asking for you right? That makes her your responsibility then."

"Really? You're playing the responsibility card here?" I shot a look at the always carefree magician.

"Am I not supposed to?"

"...The fact that you can answer that with a straight face never ceases to amaze me." I groaned in defeat. It doesn't look like anything I say will persuade this magician, so I'm not gonna bother anymore. I better start looking to shift my workload around to make time...

While I'm busy figuring out how to rearrange my schedule, Sakuya wordlessly looks up into the sky. Pulling out a small pocket watch, she snaps it open to check the time. "... It's time to start the food preparations."

Reimu raised an eyebrow at her statement. "Already? But Remilia is still asleep isn't she?"

Turning to face the shrine maiden, Sakuya smiled slightly. "I didn't say I'm making it for milady"

"Right... I keep forgetting about that gatekeeper of yours. So you're leaving now?"

"I am. Have a pleasant day everyone." As she said that, she snaps her pocket watch closed. A second later I turn to her direction only to find nothing but empty air.

"How does she keep doing that?" It's uncanny of how easy she manages to pull off these disappearing acts. And then there are the times when she just suddenly appears out of nowhere... I found it kinda creepy to be honest.

"Have you tried asking her nicely?" Marisa curiously asked.

"I did... once..."

"And what's her answer?"

"Um..." What did she say again? I can't remember what she exactly said since at the time I was too focused on the sharp knife resting idly on my neck. "... Something about curiosity kills the cat?"

Reimu and Marisa shares a quick look to each other before they both nodded. "Yeah, that's sounds about right"

... Why do I get the feeling that I'll be getting the same answer even if I mention the knife? What a scary maid. Admittedly her first mistress scares me more, but Sakuya does have her own moments. The times she appeared out of nowhere... the silent and non-silent threats she uses... The sharp knives she carries... so creepy.

"So Shirou, where are you going now?"

Marisa's question puts a stop to my wandering thoughts. "Home I guess? Why do you ask?"

The magician grinned.

* * *

><p><strong>06.12 PM<strong>

"I know I already asked this many times, but I'm going to ask once again. Why did you two follow me home?" I didn't bother hiding my displeasure at the sudden house visits. My place isn't that much further, but with these two in tow, the prospect of going home seems so bothersome.

Reimu gave me a blank look. "I'm not sure myself." The shrine maiden doesn't look excited about coming to my house either. In fact, as we were going through the village she kept herself at two arms length distance from me. Is she embarrassed to be seen with me or maybe she doesn't want the villagers to associate us two? I don't know and neither do I care.

"Oh come on Reimu. It's not like it's the first time you came to his house right?" The black-white magician told her. For some reason she's been all ecstatic about coming over. "Besides, there's this interesting rumor I heard yesterday..."

"..." Reimu unblinkingly stare at the magician before she looks away, completely disinterested.

"Aren't you going to ask me what I've heard?"

There's a few seconds delay before the shrine maiden sighed. "What rumours?" Reimu nonchalantly asked.

"I'm so glad you asked! You see, just yesterday while I was passing by the village, there's this kid who told me that he saw a ghost in the area."

"A ghost? Don't you mean a spirit?"

"That's my question exactly, but the kid was so sure that he saw a floating figure so that rules out the typical spirit sighting."

Reimu frowned as she listens to the magician. "Okay, so where did the kid see this ghost?"

Marisa grinned. "Right here at this spot." She said that just as we arrived at my doorsteps. I froze on the spot as feel the shrine maidens drilling gaze on the back of my skull.

"Is there something you want to tell me Shirou?"

"Um..."

I never got the chance to defend myself as the ghost in question flew out of my door and rammed self right onto me. "Kuro!" 'She gleefully yells.

Not expecting the 'attack 'I fell down to the ground with her on top of me. "G-get off!" I try to push her away to no avail. For some reason, she can latch herself to me but whenever I try to push her off my hands just phases through her body. How unfair is this!

As I struggle with this problem, another one soon presents itself in the form of a rather pissed shrine maiden. "Shirou... explain what this one is doing in your house." She said between gnashing teeth.

Well... as much as I want to answer her, I can't say anything since my face is buried in physics defying masses. That let Yuyuko free to say whatever she wants.

"Oh, it's rare to see this shrine maiden away from her shrine outside of an incident. Did you come to play with Kuro? Is he your friend too? Or maybe..." The ghost princess looks down at me who's still struggling with her 'mass' before she turn to look at Reimu in the same area. "Pft..." A slight chuckle.

Three seconds later...

"**Ying-Yang Sanctifier Orb"**

Well now. It's been a while since this last happens... Good thing my reflexes are much more trained compared to last time. With my current level I'd be able to dodge this big ball of pain with my eyes closed.

...Ah who am I kidding? This is gonna hurt.

_*Kaboom*_

* * *

><p><strong>06.44 PM<strong>

"Hm... so this mirror is Yukari's doing." Reimu carefully glazed her hands on the two way mirror. Pushing her fingers in and out, she carefully examines the latest addition to my house.

"So if I go through this I'll be at Hakugyokurou? How interesting, let me try." Marisa pushes the shrine maiden aside before she jumped right into the mirror.

To all watching, the mirror surface ripples as the magician went through it. A few seconds later an even more excited magician came out of the mirror. "This is so convenient! Where can I get one myself?"

"I don't know... go ask Yukari." I replied a bit heatedly, head still aching from getting hit by Reimu's Ying-Yang orb.

"Hey Kuro, there's no more jelly buns."

Are you kidding me? Turning my attention to the dining table, I groaned when I saw that Yuyuko is speaking the truth. Where previously there's a plate full of snacks on the table, now only the plate remains, completely cleaned to the last crumb. Seeing Yuyuko's expectant gaze upon me, I slowly shake my head. "... You just ate the last food in this house. There's nothing left."

"Eeeh? But I'm still hungry. Kuro, can you get more?"

"... You already eaten all my food these past few days and now you're asking for more? In what kind of situation would I say yes to that?"

"Because I asked nicely?"

"Not happening."

"Booo... Kuro is stingy" Pouting cutely, the ghost princess floated towards me and then... she hugged me? "Then I'll start haunting you until you do."

"H-hey! Let go!" I squirmed to no avail. There's an unexpectedly strong pressure behind her hug that I cannot break out of. "You're killing me!" That wasn't a figurative speech. According to Yukari, Yuyuko's touch is enough to shift my existence into something less living and more ghostly. The thing about being a ghost is that they're dead. One does not simply stop being dead, even me. So it's not an exaggeration to say that her Yuyuko is giving me the death's embrace right now.

"No! I'm not letting go unless you'd buy me more snacks!"

She's holding me on death's door because I'm not buying her more food? Just what kind of surreal situation am I in now? "Okay I get it! I'll get you more food! Just let go of me!"

"Yay!" She unceremoniously let of me right after that, causing me to tumble to the floor.

Picking myself up, I saw the ghost already floating around my house, looking giddy at the prospect of more food. "Seriously..." Grabbing my money pouch, I then make my way to the door. The poor thing, it feels so light these days. Turning to my three house guests I can't help but to sigh. "... I won't be long. Just make yourself at home, if you haven't already."

Considering Reimu's already in my kitchen brewing my tea, Marisa poking around my stuff, and Yuyuko is being Yuyuko, that last bit is quite unnecessary.

"Will do!" Marisa pulls her head out of my closet to answer." And hey, since you're going to the market, get me some dangos will you? Okay thanks." She already disappeared back into my closet before I can answer.

"Not even a please huh?" My eyes then meet with Reimu's. "What about you? Since I'm going on a spending spree already, do you want me to buy you anything too?"

Our eyes stayed in contact for a few seconds before Reimu turn her attention back to the boiling teapot. "No thanks. Being in debt with you does not settle well with me."

"You're still going to eat when I get back though right?"

"Of course. Waste not what's available I always say."

"Right, whatever... Just make sure no one blows up the house while I'm gone."

* * *

><p><strong>07.02 PM<strong>

"Here you go, enjoy." The shop lady is all sunshine and rainbow as she handed me a large paper bag. When I gave her the money, the sunshine and rainbow becomes even more dazzling. "Thank you, have a nice day."

"Yeah, you too." I hefted the large pack on my hands along with a larger paper bag I've been carrying.

Leaving the store, I take a quick second to mourn my nearly empty wallet. I should be able to fill it up again in a day or two, but in its current state, it's nearly enough for me to bring me to tears. So saddening... But it's either my wallet or me...

"Haaah..." I sighed out loud. It can't keep going like this... It can't keep going like this! Yuyuko's snacking will eat me dry if I didn't stop her. But how can I make her stop? Yuyuko is... Yuyuko! There's nothing I can do to go against her.

This sucks! I'm blaming Yukari for this! She's the one that open my house up to Yuyuko! Dammit Yukari!

"Shirou?"

My internal raging came to an abrupt halt when my name was called by a familiar voice. Turning toward the voice, I first spotted her ghost half before the other half. "Y-Youmu?" The moment I saw her, my halted thoughts instantly goes into overdrive; she's here! If Yukari is the main source of my trouble then Youmu is the unintentional cause of it! It was she who stopped buying snacks for Yuyuko.

"... I-is everything all right? You've got a really crazed look on your face right now." She's backing away from me.

Oops, am I making that much of a scary face? I force a smile onto my face. "Sorry about that. Things have been out of control for the past few days." And you're one half of the equation of the problem, not that I'd ever say that to your face. "But enough about that. Anyway, how are you? It's been a while since we last met."

"Me? It's the same usual for me. Right now I just finish buying groceries." She lifted the many bags in each of her hands, each filled with produces from the market.

"I see... then..." Might as well ask her this, it's always a good idea to see things from a different perspective. "... How's Yuyuko?"

No sooner that I asked that question, a blindingly bright smile burst out of Youmu, her ghost half happily flew around her. "It's great! Yuyuko-sama has been on her best behaviours for the past couple of days."

"B-best behaviour...?"

"Yes. I've been trying to teach Yuyuko-sama self control by reducing her daily snacks for the past few days." Yes, I'm aware of that fact, your mistress made it very clear to me between her tearful wailing. "... So no more cakes, no more sweets, and no more candies between meal times. "

"...And? How did Yuyuko takes it?"

"Surprisingly well. She's quite shaken when I first told her, but after that, she never raises the issue at all." Gee I wonder why? Maybe it's because she's been eating all my food since then?! "Honestly I'm expecting more reaction out of Yuyuko-sama, but it looks she got more self control than I imagine."

Pride and joy is gushing out of the half-ghost as she sang praises about her ghostly mistress. It's rare to see someone so happy about another person's 'achievement', seeing her acting like this, it forces me to reconsider telling the truth to her. This pure girl will have her heart broken to pieces if I tell her, but if I keep quiet, my finances will be 6 feet under forever. Tough choices here...

... Ah who am I kidding!? Of course I'll—

* * *

><p><strong>07.19 PM<strong>

The door to my houses nearly flew out of its hinges when Youmu burst inside.

Moving erratically, she went pass Marisa and Reimu who's still present in the room and locked her sight to the only unliving person in the room. "Yuyuko-sama!" She screeched, her eyes still tearing up from when I break the news to her.

"Oh hey Youmu." The ghost princess cheerfully greeted her servant as if she wasn't just got busted for doing something behind her back. "Did you come here to play too?"

"W-Wh-Wha..." Though Youmu's mouth is moving, words fail to escape her. Can't blame her really, even I who's the victim can't bring myself to hate Yuyuko for eating all my food. I get annoyed, yes, but never pissed off.

It's near impossible to stay mad when the opposing side displayed that carefree innocence. "Hey Youmu, have you finished shopping yet?" Yuyuko asked.

"Y-yes, I am finished." She looked down at the large bag she's holding. "But, but, Yuyuko-sama..."

"Great! Then let's go home, I'm starving." Yuyuko happily started floating to the mirror. But just before she went through it, she stopped and turns around. "Actually, how about if we all just eat here?"

What a spontaneous decision! All present in the room are wide eyed at the suggestion.

"H-here Yuyuko-sama? But..."

"Why not? There's a kitchen right over there, and you've got the ingredients with you. So why the delay?"

"... You do realize it'll only take a few seconds for you to go home if you went through the mirror right?" I muttered as I put down the snack bag in the shelves.

"Yes, and those are precious seconds away from dinner. That's why, let's just eat here."

The urge to shake my head was so strong I didn't bother to fight against it. Yuyuko certainly is a one of a kind being, both living and un-living. It's near impossible to try to argue with her. "...what the hell. I'll go get the firewood."

"Yay!"

It took a few tries for me to get the stone stove going, but with Youmu's careful guidance I managed to start the fire underneath it. Once the fire was burning, I was shooed away from the kitchen, saying that she'll do the rest by herself. I protested of course, but the half-ghost can be quite stern when she wants too, and I soon vacated the kitchen behind.

Reimu and Marissa disappeared while I was getting the firewood, but it didn't take long before those two reappear again; the magician carrying a small basket of 'choice' mushroom and the shrine maiden having a bottle of sake with her.

According to Youmu the mushrooms does taste good so she took them all to the kitchen with her. The sake is unnecessary since I've still got Suika's super strong sake sealed up tight in the back. But hey, an alcoholic drink that won't put me down after the first drop, I won't say no to that. And turning Reimu and the sake away does leave a sour taste on my mouth. I'm not the type of person who finds enjoyment from kicking lost puppies after all.

And so, before I know it, the preparations for the festivities in my house are now completed.

Youmu used up all the ingredients she bought to cook up a large feast for us all. When I saw what she laid down on the table, I found myself hard pressed to accept that she manages to cook up all that in my kitchen.

And then I take a bite out of it and all thought and wonders flew right out my head as the delicious flavouring send an unrefusable command to my brain; eat. And I shall! What follows is a frantic battle on the table as everyone fought for every piece of food and scraps they can manage to get. All in all, dinner is one messy and quick ordeal. The food is great though, so it's not an unwelcomed ordeal.

With so many hungry mouths to feed, dinner wrapped up quickly. After that, at her mistress' behest, Youmu brought out the snacks I bought earlier for desert. Dessert proves to be an even quicker ordeal as the plates are cleaned out in matter of minutes.

"Ahh... this is bliss..." Lazily floating above our head, the ghost mistress got such a fulfilled expression on her face.

"I don't agree with you often... but this is a special case..." Second just below Yuyuko in term of fulfilment is Reimu. According to the shrine maiden this is her first proper meal in the past week or so, so I can't criticize her for her earlier act of gluttony.

"Yes it's good. Way more fulfilling than a single steamed bun right?" That was Marisa.

"... You still owe me a steamed bun."

"Eh? Why!?"

"I didn't eat any steamed bun just now. So you still owe me for the one you ate earlier."

"Oh come on...! I even got you those mochis at Kourindou."

"Mochi is not a sweat bun."

"But...!"

"Now-now. The shrine maiden is right. You should always return what you owe all right?" The ghost mistress pitched in.

"Two against one? What kind of unfair situation is this?"

The conversation continues on like that, ignorant of those in the kitchen. I swore my ears are starting to burn from the chatters in my living room. "Return what she owes? I'd say your mistress owes me 3 days worth of pay to pay off what she ate here." I grumbled to the half-ghost beside me. The both of us are cleaning up the dishes after dinner; I'm doing the pots and pans while she's going through the plates.

"I apologize..."

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong."

"But Yuyuko-sama starts sneaking in here because I didn't buy her the snacks she wanted. So I am also responsible for what happened. Don't you agree?"

"Well..."

"W-why are you looking away!?"

"I'm sorry..."

"Uu..."

Call me selfish, but having to spend so much money for that bottomless hole of a stomach, no one in their right mind can just say 'it's okay'. At the very least no human can, unless that person is an absolute saint… which I'm not.

* * *

><p><strong>08.59 PM<strong>

Many apologies later, a downtrodden Youmu left my home along with Yuyuko. Bowing her head many times, she assures me that her mistress will not bother my home anymore. I would like to believe her, but it's hard to be assured with that flighty mistress of hers.

"I'll ensure that she's always satisfied at home, that way she won't have any reason to bother you... much." Apparently the half-ghost has resolved herself to buy plenty of snacks to make sure her mistress stays attached to Hakugyokurou and not my place. The poor girl... if her hair wasn't white already it would've turn white from the stress dealing with Yuyuko.

"Bye-bye Kuro. Come and play sometimes okay?" Yuyuko said to me as she went through the mirror. Youmu followed close behind her, profusely bowing down her head even as she too went though the reflective glass.

With that pair gone, that left the shrine maiden and the magician still loitering at my home.

... Or so I thought. When I look away from the mirror I only saw Reimu in the room, still drinking my tea. The magician is nowhere in sight.

"Where did Marisa go?"

"What do you mean? She's right he-or not." Looks like Reimu didn't even realize that the magician had left, along with all the leftover sweet snacks. That thieving magician!

"For someone that loves flashy bullets, she can be really quiet when she wants too..."

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

With nothing to talk about, I wordlessly take a seat across Reimu and quietly sip on my tea.

"..."

Such a peaceful moment... It's not often that Reimu wasn't nagging on my case so I'm just going to enjoy the moment while it last.

"..."

"..."

Minutes passed, my cup was half empty when Reimu put down hers and stood up. "... I'm heading home."

"Okay, bye."

"Yeah."

My eyes stayed on the shrine maiden's retreating figure until she reaches the door. As if she felt my eyes on her, she looks back to me one last time. "... This doesn't need to be said, but take care of yourself."

"Don't I always?"

Reimu shakes her head exasperatedly at my remark. "Just don't die." Not giving me time to retort back, Reimu quickly vacated the premise, leaving me alone all disgruntled from her last remark.

"... Whatever."

Bringing the cups to the sink, I gave them a quick rinse before putting them back in the shelf. That done, I should call it a day and tuck in for the night. I have to deliver a handful of fishes to the sushi store tomorrow, and I need to wake up early to do that.

The job doesn't actually warrant an early delivery, but morning is the best time to catch fish in my opinion. Plus there's less chance for me to run into that ice fairy at that time of day since she' should still be asleep, which means that there's less chance of me getting turned into an ice cube. Then again, even if I do run into her, I could still fight her off if the situation escalated. So everything will be all right. Right?

* * *

><p><strong>Day 64: End<strong>

**And that's that. What do you all think? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Please review.**

**Anyway, the PC I'm using at the moment is a bit on the crappy side, but still enough for writing. So the next chapter won't take so long like this one. ****Speaking of the next chapter, I got it all planned out already. It's should be a good one I believe, quite action oriented too. So stay tune for the next chapter; A Midsummer Million Snowflakes. **

**Look forward to it.**

**Sorry again it took so long XD**


	18. Day 74: Midsummer Million Snowflakes

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou**

**Ore... Sanjou! ****I'm back once again with the latest chapter!**

**Real life isn't forgiving these days so it affect my time to write. I'll try to do my best, but no promises okay? NOTE: I'm doing this one on 3rd POV since I'm trying to polish up my writing skill. Plus it also suit the chapter better I think. ****Also, I'm doing a few changes in term of spell cards. Notice that some are said out loud while the rest are not said but just invoked. **

**But yeah... making up an incident is really not easy. I actually have to look up on the science book to make sure this thing is possible... And I seriously hope it's possible else I have to rewrite the whole chapter again! Then there's the research on spell cards and picking the correct ones to fit into the scenes... THEN there's the character ****research to make sure I don't break characters! ****haaaaah, what a pain.**

**Also before you start reading, just a heads up. I added a new ability to his repertoire. This one is quite powerful and dangerous, both for him to use and for me to write. But I believe I could make this new ability to work... probably. **

****Anyway, straight onto the chapter.****

**Day 74: Midsummer Million Snowflakes**

* * *

><p>Why does the gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion often sleep on the job? Putting aside the fact that she does her job properly, the time she spends sleeping is equal, if not more than the time she spends awake. Just what is it that tires her so?<p>

Some villagers theorizes that her vampire mistress over works her to exhaustion. A very sound opinion, considering that the vampire can be quite the task mistress. But all one needs is a bit of observation and common sense to figure out that such assumptions cannot be true since the gatekeeper barely does anything most of the time.

Another opinion is that the gatekeeper is conserving her strength to fend off intruders. This one is probably the least plausible theory since a number of uninvited guests still manage to enter the mansion, either by sneaking in or by directly going through said gatekeeper.

There are also some people who say that she's the type of youkai who sleep a lot. Another says she's only active at night same as her mistress. Or that her real job is to tend the gardens, and not the gate. The theories go on.

But for few in the village, the answer cannot be more obvious. Standing near the misty lake, hidden from the sunlight by the tall mansion, and adding the cool breeze blowing from the lake, it is no wonder that she often fall asleep since her post is a premium spot for napping in Gensokyo. Not caused by dream youkai or demons or magic, one of the true wonders of Gensokyo one might say.

"Rise and shine sleepy head." Hence why even with a branch poking into the body, the black-white magician only got a slight stir from the sleeper. "Wakey-wakey or Sparky-wakey." Again, there's nothing but the smallest stirring in respond to her prodding. Shaking her head amusedly, the magician turns to another figure on the ground. Unlike the other sleeper, this one is lying flat in a small crater, and instead of sleeping, this one is sluggishly trying to pick herself up after taking one hit too many at near point blank range. "This is unexpected, has Remila finally gotten a new gatekeeper?" Marisa asked.

A few unintelligible groans can be heard from Meiling as she drags herself out of the crater. Looks like she's still seeing stars so she won't be saying anything coherent anytime soon. Thankfully for the gatekeeper, backup arrives in a perfect timely manner, as always.

"Nobody is getting replaced." With a quick flick of her wrist, the stick that Marisa was holding tumbled on the grass, a single knife jutting out of it. "And do let Shirou-san have his rest, he most certainly needed it." Said the maid.

Marisa eyed the maid carefully. It's uncertain when Sakuya arrives, but it's apparent that she's been listening in for a while. "That's quite the statement coming from the head maid herself. What was he doing that warrant such consideration?"

"He was the little mistresses playmate throughout the night, and for the better part of the day as well." It need not be said that he barely took a few steps out of the gate before he crashes on the grass and fall asleep almost immediately.

"Oh, that explains a lot." The black-white magician sheepishly rubs her head while letting a light chuckle. "I take it Flan had a lot of fun?"

The maid sighed before she nodded. "Indeed she did." Sparing a quick glance at the sleeping boy, Sakuya lightly shakes her head. "At any rate, the mansion is still cleaning up from last night's activities. So if there's nothing important, I would like to ask you to leave, now." A trio of knives flashes into view, ready to be thrown the moment the magician uttered a 'no' or some other lame excuses.

"Now why would I do that? I already took down your gatekeeper. Leaving now would mean her sacrifice is useless won't it?"

"It's not my problem."

"Ouch, cold."

If either girl were to take a moment to pay attention to their surrounding, they would've heard a small whimper from the edge of the crater where the gatekeeper is. But since no one paid attention to it, it is nothing but a whisper in the wind that was soon forgotten.

"Anyway, I'm coming through. And you won't be stopping me!" The magician declared as she raises her mini-hakkero toward the maid.

"Oh? And what makes you so sure about that?" The maid calmly retorted. Her fingers twitched, the knives she was holding has disappeared from her grasp. Instead, there are now dozens of knives hanging in the air, their time frozen to keep them still... for the time being.

Though Marisa took a step back at the display, she still have that easy-going bravado smile on her face. "Because if you try to stop me, that vampire is going to have a very rude awakening!"

**Light Sign: Earth Light Ray**!

A number of magical arrays appeared in the air above Marisa, and from there, a storm of magical energy shot out haphazardly. Some went straight toward the maid, but the rest flew around her, going straight for the crimson mansion in the background.

"Tsk!" Faced with the onslaught, Sakuya is quickly on the move. Evading the ones coming at her, the maid focuses her effort on the stray shots that were heading toward the mansion. Her arms are a blur as knives flew out of her grasp, each hitting the many bullets that were heading toward the mansion creating numerous display of light shows as the attacks cancel each other out.

It seemed like a hard task to fend for herself while keeping the mansion safe, but Sakuya is doing a fine job nonetheless. The few times the maid was cornered she would simply 'phase out' of harm's way, only to reappear a small distance away to resume fending off the magician's assault with a seemingly infinite amount of sharp cutlery.

And so, about a minute after the magician opened fire, the last bullet has been shot down. Dusting off the small trace of dust from her skirt, the maid scanned the area for any sign of the black-white... only to realize that the magician is nowhere in sight and that the mansion's front gate is wide open.

"... Such underhanded tactics. I should've expected this." Sakuya sighed. It's often said that smoke and flashes were a magician's tricks of the trade. For the black-white to use those simple parlor tricks to distract her so that she can sneak into the mansion... truly impressive. But still, "How did she make her way pass you as well?" She said as she shifted her gaze to the gatekeeper.

Having recovered well enough to move again, Meiling scratched her head sheepishly. "My bad, but she'd got me occupied as well." The gatekeeper said wryly, next to her is the sleeping figure that amazingly managed to sleep through all the commotion.

Seeing the still sleeping freelancer, the maid shakes her head in exasperation. "You shouldn't have let him rest here if he'll be a hindrance to your duties." She said, rubbing her head lightly to stave off the approaching headache.

"S-sorry."

Sighing to herself once again, the maid starts to head back into the mansion. As she passed the gate, she paused for a second. "... It's improper to let a guest rest in the lawn. I'll have a room prepared shortly, could you bring him inside please"

"Right... huh?" Meiling nearly trips from the unexpected comment. A summer rain might be rare, but it's not as rare as Sakuya showing concern to others outside the mansion. The gatekeeper unblinking eyes looks to the sky, then the maid, the sky once again, then the maid again. Her reverie only broken by the creaking sound of the gate as an unamused Sakuya decided to go on ahead to the mansion.

"W-wait for me Sakuya-san!" Meiling shouted out as she runs after the maid into the mansion with the sleeping freelancer carried on her back. Entering the mansion and closing the door behind her, the gatekeeper fails to notice a dark cloud that starts to gather in the sky.

* * *

><p>Throughout Gensokyo, there are only a handful of people were aware of the true vastness of the great library underneath the vampire's mansion. There are rumors of course, but even those rumors fails to capture the true splendor of the library. With uncountable bookshelves, each towering meters above the ground, it's truly a sight to behold.<p>

Unfortunately... this place is not open for the public eyes since the owner of the library does not appreciate visitors in her sanctuary. Many layers of traps and enchantment were placed in the library that makes entering impossible unless one was invited in.

"Hey Patchy! I'm here~~!"Of course there are exceptions to most rules, and this particular one is a very special exception.

Looking up from her book she was reading, Patchouly regards the intruder with unconcealed agitation. "I was not aware I was expecting company."

"You are now."

Patcholy shakes her head before she return her eyes to the book she was reading. "... Intruder alert." At the magician's soft-spoken words, a squad of fairies wearing maid clothing rush into the library.

Backing up slightly at the swarm of fairies, Marisa grinned wryly. "So much for pleasantries."

**Two hours** later Sakuya entered the library to find the place sprawling with downed fairies. Stepping over the unconscious bodies in her path, she makes her way through the library. A quick look is all she needs to assess the situation. Ignoring the defeated fairies, there's a distinct lack of burn spots and drenched areas. The books were also undisturbed in their shelves which implies that only one magician out of two were involved in the... activities. The other one must not be feeling up to enter the fray, so there should be some semblance of peace for now.

Making her way to the reading spot in the middle of the library, her assumption is proven correct as there are now two magicians buried face deep in books and tomes.

Stepping closer to the two, she places the tray she's carrying on the table. Careful not to disturb even a slip of pages, Sakuya gracefully put down two cups of tea. "The weather is unfriendly today so I've brought some warm tea to soothe the body."

The purple magician silently nodded her appreciation before she reached for her cup. The black-white one on the other hand...

"Aw... you do care."

"Not really. But until it is said otherwise, you're a guest in the mansion. So at the very least you deserve the minimum amount courtesy."

"Whatever you say." Marisa downed the offered drink in one big gulp before shutting close the book she was reading. "So how much time I got before I stop being guest here?" She asked as she began piling up books and more books in front of her. She only stopped when a knife nearly skewered her hand. "Too soon?"

"Don't even try it."

"Right... maybe later."

At Marisa's challenging grin the maid's eyes become sharper than the knife in her hand. The air between the two becomes thick as each tensed up, ready to react at the second the others make a move.

"...Sakuya."

The standoff instantly ceased to be as the maid turn to attend the other magician. "Yes Patchouly-sama?"

Lightly sipping her tea, Patchouly closes the book she was reading. "Has Koa returns to the mansion yet? It's not like her to take so long just for such a simple errand."

"As a matter of fact... she has returned not too long ago."

"Where is she then?"

"Well..."

Before the maid can answer, the sound of a door slamming open in the distance is heard followed by rapid footsteps. "Patchouly-sama~~! I'm back" A tired wail is heard as a damp and shivering Koakuma comes into view. Buried under layers of thick coating and a red scarf while shivering in cold, her appearance certainly warrant some inquiries.

Patchouly narrowed her eyes when she saw the state of her little devil familiar. "Koa, what happened?"

"N-nothing happened. I-I-I finished the e-errands no problem." She says between chattering teeth.

"That's not what I meant. How did you end up in this state?"

"O-Oh, this? I-I w-was on m-my way back, b-b-but then it started snowing see, s-s-so..."

"Snow?" Seeing her assistant struggling just to speak, patchouli turns the question to the maid.

"Ah yes... as I was about to say earlier, outside it has been snowing for the past hour or so."

Hearing this, Marisa jumped off her seat. "No kidding? It's really snowing?" Despite the weirdness of the situation, the magician seems full of excitement.

"... I did not 'kid' you I assure you. As I said, it really does-hm?" Sakuya stops as a fairy maid flies to her. "What is it?" She asked the fairy.

"There's a group of youkai and fairies quarreling by the lakeside. A fight looks inevitable; the others are worried that their fight will reach the mansion." Others clearly referred to the other fairies that serve in the mansion.

Hearing the report, Sakuya frowned. "Looks like the changes in weather were causing unrest in the local youkai population." She quietly mused. "There's no reason to be concerned. They know better than to go close to the mansion. And even if they did, the gatekeeper will deal with them." She said to the fairy.

"As you say head maid." The fairy bowed to Sakuya.

"Good. Is that all?"

"Um... one more thing. That male human in the mansion has woken up."

"Oh?"

* * *

><p>"Achoo!" Meiling sneezed. Wiping her nose, she pulled the thick coat she's wearing closer to her body. "Oh man... did I catch a cold?"<p>

Being a youkai as she is, she was not in danger of dying from hypothermia from the cold. But no matter how enduring she is, weathering the initial snowfall without decent winter clothing is still a fool's errand. Not being able to take shelter inside as she has her duty to watch the gate, she was forced to weather the freezing temperature for some time before someone inside remembered about her and brought her some warm clothing.

Shivering by herself, right now there's nothing she wants more than to go inside and get away from the snow, but alas, it is not meant to be; Especially with those quarreling bunch in the distance. They keeps getting closer as time passes and it won't be long now before she has to deal with the situation. It should be an easy task...

"Achoo!"

... At least it'd be easy without her cold. As it is, it would be a tiny little bit challenging for her. Its still won't be a problem, but she honestly won't say no if those guys would steer clear of the mansion. Less hassle for her that way.

"Haah... I wish I got something warm to drink..." Meiling sighed.

"Ask and you shall receive." An amused voice says from behind.

"Eek!" As she wasn't expecting a real answer to her musing, the gatekeeper nearly tripped on her own feet as she whirls around toward the mansion gate. There standing with a wry smirk on his face is a male human wearing a hooded long coat with the hood is covering his head. Doing a double take, Meiling nearly throw a punch at the hooded man before she realizes who she's facing with. "S-Shirou-san?"

"Hey." He greeted her with a light wave of his hand. "Got you some warm sake" He shows the small bottle in his hand along with the drinking saucer.

"Oh, thank you."

A minute later Meiling downed the entire sake bottle by herself. "Fuaaaah... I feel alive again." She blissfully said as a warm buzz spread through her body. "So you're finally awake. Did the little mistress tire you that much?"

"That is quite the understatement..." He visibly shivered as flashes of last night's activities passes by him. "In fact, I thought she put me into a coma when I woke up to the snow." Spreading his arm, he let a few snowflakes landed on his palm. If it wasn't for the ever calm Sakuya explanations, he would've thought he slept for months after that one play day. "So this is what you people call an 'incident' huh?"

"It's a pretty tame incident, but yes it is."

"I hate to see what you'd call a big incident..."

"Don't be, I'm looking at one right now." Meiling said as she looks straight at Shirou. It's quite clear that she didn't mean the snow in that sentence.

"... I should've expected that." He sighed bitterly. "Don't you think it's-" A furious roar echoed before in the distance. Turning toward where the sound comes from, Shirou's eyes widened as he saw a large youkai picking up a boulder and hurling it toward a small flying fairy. The fairy easily evades the attack, but said projectile is now rolling toward the mansion gate at a high speed.

"Meiling..."

"You don't have to ask."

In a swift movement, the gatekeeper sprung into action. Unfazed by the giant rolling boulder she rushed straight toward it. "Haah!" With a crash, the boulder is blown into tiny little pieces as it met her fist. "Okay, time for me to get involved." Meiling said, looking annoyed at the distant quarrel which at some point has degenerated into an all-out-brawl.

Moving away from the gate and toward the fight, Meiling stops after just a few steps and looks back at Shirou. "By the way, do you want to give me a hand with this bunch?"

It took him a few seconds before he realize that she wasn't playing him. "I prefer not too... it looks pretty messy from here." He warily eyed the lakeside chaos. "Plus you don't really need my help for this, do you?"

She puffed her chest confidently. "Of course not. But I want to finish this quickly so... care to join me?"

He sighed in defeat. "...Since you asked so nicely." Pushing away from the wall he was leaning on, Shirou lightly jogged to catch up with Meiling.

Welcoming the assist with a big smile, Meiling lightly pats his back to encourage him. "Don't worry; this is going to be easy. In fact..." A spell card flashed into existence in her hand which she then offered to him. "Let's make this even easier."

Shirou blankly stare at the card before looking back at the gatekeeper. "Are you for real?" His voice is filled with astonishment.

"Patchouly-sama says you need to practice using '**that'** in a real combat situation. Why delay it when there's a good opportunity right here?"

"But '**that'** is really troublesome. It's like I stop being... me."

"If it comes to that I'll just knock you out like last time."

"... How reassuring." Shirou sounded unconvinced, but he relented in the end. Though conflicted with what he's about to do, he gingerly takes the offered card.

"Good boy. Now I'll go in first and break the fight. You lay low somewhere near. That way you'll have the element of surprise on your side."

"Okay? And when should I use this element of surprise?"

"I don't know. Figure it out yourself."

* * *

><p>The lakeside brawl is going at full blow when a red haired figure crashed the party. "Heyaaah!" With an upward kick followed by a downward snap, one of the bulkier youkai in the fight is now a crater in the ground. The sudden interruption caused a hushed silence to falls as everyone turns their attention to the intruder.<p>

"This pointless fight ends now!" Meiling's voice can be heard clearly through the lakeside. "Now scram before I am forced to do my duty as the Gatekeeper of the Scarlet Devil Mansion." She barely finish talking when most if not all the fairies runs away scared while screaming "Flee!", "Vampire!", "Mansion!", and "Devil!".

"Wow... That went better than I expected." Meiling chuckles while watching the fairies turns into specks of light in the distance. "But on the other hand..." Lightly shaking her head, she turn her focus on the other side of the fight. While some of the smaller and weaker youkai has scampered away, the rest are still here. Numbering just below two dozen, they began to circle around as they move to surround her. "The hard way it is." She muttered as she slipped into a fighting stance. "Last chance you guys... leave before things get messy." Meiling said calmly.

At her words the youkai encirclement faltered. They all have heard about her prowess and a few has experienced her skill first hand, so seeing her with this much confidence brings doubt to their minds. But then a serpent like Youkai pounced from the encirclement. "Messy... is fine... but if I beat you... then I am strong! " It hissed as it attacks.

"Idiot." With perfect ease, Meiling ducked under its claws before launching her counter attack. Two second later the snake youkai is seeing stars after an open palm thrust hits it in its lower jaw followed by a spinning kick to its side, sending it flying away toward the misty lake.

A splashing sound is heard soon enough but it is completely drowned by the hissing and growling of the remaining youkai. "Beat her... we'll be famous...!" One mutters with many others echoing in agreement. It looks like that snake-like youkai has unwittingly sets a dangerous idea in these youkais's minds.

Meiling grimaced at the hostility aimed at her. "And for a second there I thought it could end peacefully..." She sighed. "Oh well." She re-assumes her fighting stance. The situation is one versus one and a half dozen... Odds are really against her, but fortunately she's not alone in this fight. In fact, her helper is already on the move!

**Colourful Briliance: Rainbow Taichi**

Meiling smirked when the back row of the youkai were blasted away in a colourful explosion. As their bodies flew into the air, she spotted him jump kicking a youkai in the face before using the now flattened face as a stepping board to jump into the air. Three mid-air assaults later and three large youkais went crashing down toward the group behind her, Meiling amusedly shakes her head. "Nice job there." She said to the person that just landed in a crouch beside her.

"You know self-praising is the first step to egotism right?" During the scrap his hood has fallen backward revealing a mop of scarlet red hair.

"But I'm praising you aren't I?" Grinning widely Meiling rustled his hair.

"That's debatable... let's just clean this bunch quickly. Remilia-sama does not like to be disturbed while she sleeps."

"Shirou..."

"Hm...?" Shirou looks at her confusedly before his eyes widened. "R-right. Remila is your master, not mine." He angrily shakes his head. "L-let's just finish up this quickly okay?"

"No objection here. You take the bunch on that side and I'll deal with the rest." She didn't wait to hear if he got any objection as she already jumped onto the dazzled group of youkai.

"Roger that." Then again, he seems perfectly content with the idea as he jumped into the fray no sooner than she finishes talking.

* * *

><p>"Oh wow! Is that really Shirou?" said a very surprised Marisa. Currently she, Patchouli, Koakuma and Sakuya are watching the beat down using Patchouli's crystal ball. "Since when did he become that good of a fighter? And why is he suddenly a red head?"<p>

"He really does moves like Meiling-san." said Koakuma.

Patchouli shakes her head as she watches the red haired freelancer skilfully evade a series of clawed attack before he grabbed his attacker by the neck, choke slammed it into the ground, and then steps on its head hard to knock it out. "What a barbaric way of fighting." As she speaks, the freelancer smashes the blunt edges of his sword into a youkai's face before finishing it off with a surprisingly graceful spin kick to its head.

"Those two work well together." Sakuya commented.

Marisa has to forcefully tear her eyes away from the crystal ball to ask questions. "Okay, all of you don't seem surprised by this so... spill it."

"... It's nothing surprising is it? Given his ability to alter his existence." Patchouli said as aloof as ever.

"Well, yeah, but I never seen him change this much... "The black-white muses. "What's the cause? It should still be the same stimuli right? But it can't be 'quantity' since he didn't change like this when I shot him with **Master Spark** so it must be the 'quality' right?"

Patchouli sighed as she cuts off the connection with her crystal ball. "... Its times like this that I'm reminded that you're a magician." She grumbled, looking both annoyed and surprised plus a tiny fraction of approval at the black-white's deduction.

"Do I detect a hint of praise amidst the unjustified insult just then?"

"You're imagining it." Patchouli completely ignores Marisa while giving the crystal ball to Koakuma for her to put back in the shelf. "Sakuya will tell you of what transpired here a few days ago. I suggest you listen to her story with the utmost discretion."

"Will do!" Marisa said before she whirls around toward the head maid. "Well? Don't keep me waiting."

Sakuya hummed in thought for a bit. "Let me first say that I wasn't there when it first happened so I can only tell you what happened after I ran into those two in the hallway four days ago..."

* * *

><p>Back outside, the battle is quickly concluding.<p>

"**Chi Sign: Star Bullets!"**

"**Chi Sign: Earth Dragon Sky Dragon Kick!"**

With those cries, the last few youkais were soundly defeated. As she forcefully ejected the last youkai into the lake, Meiling turns and surveyed the aftermath of the skirmish. Most of the intruders have all runs away with their tails tucked between their legs, literary. Ones that remain won't be a problem anymore until they regain consciousness. "That's the last of them. Good job Shirou."

"No problem." He grinned cheekily. Although he's been actively fighting the youkai, he barely feels exhausted at all. "It's what I do for a living after all."

"Right... except this is my job and you're helping me for free."

"Oh yeah..."

Watching him smacked himself in the face Meiling bemusedly shakes her head. "So how does it feel to be me? It's not that bad, isn't it?" She asked him.

"It'll be a very biased answer if I gave you the answer now..." As he answers his body starts to glow slightly.

Before Meiling's eyes, strings of light left Shirou's body and starts to converges in the air between her and the freelancer. The light dimmed out before long, revealing a card which then flew into her hand. "I still find it hard to believe this one card can make you change that much." Meiling mused while putting away the returned card.

Now no longer a red head, Shirou flops down to the grass looking quite exhausted compared to just a few seconds ago. "Which one can't you believe? The part where I start acting like you or that my sense of identity gets jumbled around with yours?"

"The latter of course. How does it feel having me inside your head?" Meiling curiously ask.

"... It's annoying, same answer as the last time you asked me that."

"Eh? I thought since this is the third time you used my card you'd be more amazed or appreciative at the very least."

"Haah... what do you want me to say?" He gave her an irritated glare but it died down as soon as he saw her downtrodden face. "Fine... having you running around inside my head is-"

* * *

><p>"Awesome!"<p>

"Keep it down you. This is still a library in case you forget."

"But this is great! It's not every day you see reality get twisted, and it's done by someone like Shirou to boot." Marisa's eyes are shining in absolute delight. If someone sets her hair on fire now she probably would still be grinning while trying to put it out.

Patchouli rubs her head to stave off a fanning headache. "Sit down. You're acting unsightly." She groaned when Marisa didn't pay any heed to what she just said. "It's like I'm dealing with children..."

"Excuse me Patchouli-sama..." Koakuma timidly raised her hand. "What does she means by reality got twisted?"

"She means exactly that. Due to some very inexplicable reasons, the reality surrounding that person was distorted and stretched to accommodate for the impossibility of his situation." The explanation seems to fly over Koakuma's head. Turning to Sakuya, she only receive a shaking head from the maid, apparently neither of them understand what the magician were talking about.

Picking on their perplexed mind, Patchouli sips some of her tea and leaned back on her chair. "How to explain this... you both know that person's existence is unstable correct?" At the two nodding head she continues. "In this case, it downright causes a conundrum."

"A conun-drum?"

"An unsolvable circumstance; It is an impossibility for there to be two exact same existence in reality, yet a situation very close to it exist within him. The changes caused by Meiling's spell card turns him into a near perfect identical being as her in terms of ability, power, speed, even personality and mentality. The only thing that didn't change is the core of his physical appearance, which is fortunate as reality would theoretically collapse around him if that last paper thin disparity did not exist."

"Oh... okay, so it's a very bad... and confusing... thing?" Koakuma muttered.

"But that's not all." The purple magician is not finished yet. "That human part of him, the one that never changes, it still remains even when a new layer of existence was dropped on top of it. For two existences to exist in one being, it's completely unheard of no matter how imperfect they are."

Looking at the frowning magician, the two mansion's servants share quick glance to each other. "... Sakuya-san, did you understand what Patchouli-sama said?"

"... It's quite the conundrum?" The head maid replied unsurely.

"That's not explaining anything at all!"

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 1: What Winter Left Behind.<strong>

_The out of season snow is but a blessing for her. No longer hiding from the disappeared heat she now dances around in the snow. But what greeting will she receive from those that are not blessed by the winter?_

Back with Shirou and Meiling, another troublesome situation has arisen.

"... You can handle this bunch by yourself right?"

"I could yes, but some of them are eyeing you Shirou-san."

"I noticed..." Shirou sighed. Warily, he looks up at the dozens of light that floats above them. How did this happen? Not too long ago they were debating the fine difference between techniques and brawling then the next second they find them self completely surrounded.

"Those are winter spirits..." Meiling told him.

"Winter spirits?"

"Yes, spirits that predominantly appears during winter time. The sudden shift in weather must have caused them to come out from their hiding."

"Huh... I see... but why are they attacking us?"

"Everyone always gets a bit edgy during times of incident so that's probably why. I'm actually surprised they haven't attacked us yet." As Meiling said, the spirits haven't attacked them yet. They all seem content with just watching them from a safe distance.

"No complaint here, though I wish they'd let me walk out of here." He refers to an earlier incident when the spirits tried to attack him when he approached.

"Heh, it's doubtful that things will end peacefully." Meiling can't help but to be amused even in their current sticky situation. "So how about it, you wanna borrow 'me' again?"

"I'll pass. I'm gonna do this the normal way. Or at least what's normal for me now..."

"Suit yourself."

He nodded. "Then, shouldn't we be on the offensive now?"

His hand inched to the hidden card in his pocket but then Meiling shakes her head. "Wait a bit more. These guys are keeping us here so that mean they're waiting for something... or someone."

"What, like their leader?" At Meiling's nod his hand stops moving. "Are you sure? Won't that be bad for us?"

"Not necessarily..."

"You know who their leader is?"

"It's snowing and we're surrounded by winter spirits. Two being came into mind but one is no leader, so that leaves..." Meiling stopped talking when a gust of cold wind blew from the misty lake forcing her and the freelancer to shield their eyes.

"... What is this?" Appearing along the cold draft is a girl dressed in a blue and white dress. Hovering a small distance from them, her lavender hair billowed from the wind restrained only by the small white cap she's wearing. "When those fairies told me about party crashers, I only expected the gatekeeper to responsible. I did not expect a human to be here as well." Her white lips curved in a distasteful smile.

"Yuki-Onna..."

"Eh? That's a Yuki-Onna?" Shirou failed to keep his surprise in check as he pointed at the fuming youkai.

"Though I'm pleased that I am not being associated with that ice fairy, I would prefer if you drop that rude gesture of yours human."

At the scolding, Shirou quickly lowered his arm. "I'm sorry." He awkwardly apologizes.

Meiling pointedly shakes her head at the display of submissiveness. "Shirou, you shouldn't lower your head to her. For all we know she could be the one responsible for the current incident." She scolded him.

"Her? For real?" The freelancer confusedly looks back and forth between the gatekeeper and the Yuki-Onna.

"Yes her. She's an ice youkai you know. Don't you agree that this snow is something within her element?"

"Well... when you put it that way..." Shirou lightly scratches his head trying to put the pieces together; the girl is a Yuki-Onna, an ice youkai. Supposedly a Yuki-Onna loves icy cold weather and despises other type of weather. Even he can see that she's high in the list of suspect for the incident, the only thing missing is the proof. "So... Are you the one causing this snow?" He decided to take the direct approach and ask her straight up.

The Yuki-Onna raised a delicate eyebrow. "This is new. Normally the questioning came last."

"It comes last? What's before that?"

"Usually..." Just as Meiling about to answer him, a series of explosive noises loudly resounds from the misty lake. Instantly on the alert, everybody; spirits, youkai and human alike, they all inched away from the lake as a dark foreboding feeling takes root in their heart.

"Should we run away?" Shirou muttered as a few spirits of winter braved the misty air to investigate.

"No, at times like these, it's best to keep calm and-Whoa!" Noticing things before everyone else, the gatekeeper hastily picked up Shirou, slung him over her shoulder ignoring his protest, and took off running as fast as she can. Seconds after that a barrage of bullets sweep over the area where they were just standing on.

The Yuki-Onna barely manages to defend herself with a shield of ice, but the winter spirits that came with her were all shot down before they could even react.

"What the hell..." The freelancer muttered in amazement at the scene of devastation he just witnessed. Too shocked he is that he nearly stumbles when Meiling put him down again.

The gatekeeper chuckled nervously. "Someone is in a bad mood..." She didn't need to elaborate who that someone is as a red-white figure chooses that moment to burst out of the mist that surrounds the lake.

"So, even the winter spirits are showing up.." Reimu said as her eyes falls to the Yuki-Onna. Looking around some more, her eyes then widened when she spotted the freelancer. "You. Get lost." She told- no, ordered him.

"Y-Yes!" Both Shirou and Meiling didn't even second guess the shrine maiden as they both retreated as fast as their feet can take them.

Waiting until those two, specifically him to get out of his' absorption' range, Reimu turns her attention back to the Yuki-Onna. "Now then... where were we..."

"Eek..."

* * *

><p>"Are you okay Shirou-san?" Meiling asked the panting freelancer next to her.<p>

"Hah...hah...hah..." Shirou breathed heavily as he leaned on the mansion's wall. His feet aching badly, he slides down the wall until he's sitting down. "I don't think I could've have run faster even if I had a hungry youkai on my tail. Why is Reimu so scary today...?"

"There's a reason for that." Touching the ground lightly with her feet, The Seven-Coloured Puppeteer has arrived in the scene. Alice Margatroid heaved a sigh as she moves to join the two. "Her shrine is completely buried in snow to the point where she can't even get out normally. My dolls had to dig her out since she's not letting me blow her roof open."

"You're... Marg...atroid-san right?" Shirou said after he wracked his brain for her name.

"Yes I am. It has been a while since that end of spring gathering Shirou-san. And please, call me by my given name. I know my surname is quite the handful to pronounce." Alice said to him before turning to the gatekeeper. "May I come in? I would like to have a talk with Patchouli."

"Uh... It's not up to me; I'll have to go ask."

"There's no need. I'm already here." A voice came out, shocking everyone outside. "...What?" Wearing a triple layered black coat and purple jacket, Patchouli frowned when she notices the look of amazement on the three as she came out of the gate.

"I've told you you should come out from time to time." Said Marisa who has also came out with her fellow magician. "As it is you only came out once in a blue moon."

"I thought she never comes out." The freelancer muttered.

"... Do you want to get hurt?"

"I'm sorry." Shirou is fast to be on his knees and apologizes.

"Hn..."Stepping toward the bowing freelancer, Patchouli raises her hand and... Slowly pats his head?

"Um... excuse me?" Shirou tries to move away from the intruding hand, but a tight squeeze on his hair convinces him otherwise.

"Stay still..." Ignoring his discomfort, the magician resumes running her hand through his hair as if she's combing him hair by hair. Her weird action lasted for good tens of seconds before she found what she's looking for.

"Ow!" Shirou yelped more from surprise than pain when Patchouli pulled a thread of his hair.

Lifting the single thread toward the sun, the purple magician inspects it carefully. "Looks like you were right Marisa."

"Yes! I knew it! This'll be-oh hey Alice, what are you doing here?" The black-white magician starts acting awkwardly as if she just notices that the doll user is present in the area.

Alice looks suspicious at the way her fellow magician acted, but she didn't pursue the issue. "I'm here to ask Patchouli for help with my research. Unfortunately the weathers caused some delay for me to get here." She explained with her arms crossed. "So Marisa, I would say I'm surprised to see you here, but that would be a lie."

"Heh, you know me, always the knowledge seeker."

"Quite..."Alice sighed. It's always an uphill battle to keep up with Marisa so she's not going to bother. Instead, she turns to Patchouli who's passively looking at the light show in the distance. "Anyway, may I have your permission to access the library? There are a few things I need to look up."

Tearing her eyes from the battle ahead, Patchouli calmly regarded the doll user for a second before nodding lightly. "Go ask Koa, she'll help you find the things you needed."

"Thank you. I'll do that."

"Hn..." Patchouli muttered as she turns around and start heading back to the mansion. But just as she went pass the gate she stopped and glanced back at the doll user. "Did you know, there's a saying from the outside world that the best learning experience is outside the library."

"Excuse me?"

Ignoring Alice's question, Patchouli keeps talking without care if she's heard or not. "Take a walk before coming in. The sunlight could help you find a breakthrough. Shame that it's so cloudy today." Not waiting for reply, the magician quietly strolled back into the mansion without looking back.

Left to herself after the not so subtle message, Alice rounded up on Marisa who's trying her best to act innocent. "Would you mind telling me how Patchouli knows what I am working on before I even tell her?"

"... Gut feeling?"

Visibly upset, Alice glared daggers Marisa. A magician does not share secrets. That's an unshaken rule no matter where you are. Alice herself never told Marisa about her project and yet she found out and blabbed about it to Patchouli. "Really you..." The only reason she hasn't outright attacked Marisa is because of the 'hint' that Patchouli gave her. That is only possible because Marisa leaked her research. Hence, "The next time you do this... there will be hell to pay you hear me." She'll let it pass just this once.

"Yes ma'am." Everyone shakes their head at the very obvious bare faced lie but Marisa just takes it all in strides. "Now then, shall we head out and find the source of this incident?"

"Define 'we'..."

"Isn't it obvious? The gatekeeper has to stay here so it'll be you, me, and Reimu once she's done over there. Oh, and you're coming too Shirou."

"Whoa hold on." Not expecting to hear his name listed the freelancer is quick to protest. "Incident solving is supposed to be Reimu's job isn't it? Why are you including me in it as well?"

"For once I agree with him." With a light step Reimu landed in front of the mansion's gate. For someone who just went through a round of danmaku, she looks no worse to wear. In fact, she's completely untouched.

"You finish with that Yuki-Onna?" Marisa asks.

"Yeah. But she's not doing it nor does she know who the real culprit is." Reimu complained; the beaten down Yuki-Onna is already far from her priority list. "But back to my question, why should we bring him along? And before you answer, making things 'interesting' is not a good enough reason."

"Hey, interesting factor aside, I have a good reason for wanting to bring him along."

"Which is?"

"Well..."

* * *

><p>Flying in the skies of Gensokyo, is a pair of magicians and a lone shrine maiden. In the face of the renewed snowfall, all three keeps pushing on as they searched for the source of the incident. "Not here either..." Reimu grumbled. Currently they're in the vicinity of the Youkai Mountain and are on the way to the next location. Though they suspected the Moriya shrine maiden as the cause of the snow, it's soon proven to be false as the poor girl is bed ridden from a cold thanks to the change of weather.<p>

"Don't worry. We're currently using the most reliable search method to find the culprit so it's only a matter of time now." Marisa grinned as she peers down on the subject attached to her broom. "How's it hanging Shirou?"

"G-get me down from here!" The 'reliable' detection method cries out.

Listening to the pitiful wail, the doll user and shrine maiden share a glance before they sighed. Either one has their misgiving about the reliability of using the freelancer to help search for the culprit, but they both clam up when they were told that Patchouli is the one who laid down the basic theory for it. Utilizing his unstable existence, the purple magician deduced that in the right circumstances, the freelancer would react to a power shift simply by being in the area. When that happens then the cause must be nearby.

Hearing that, neither Reimu nor Alice can refute the theory. It is a well thought assumption that one can always expect from the level headed magician. Though unproven, chances are it would still work out in the end.

But however... the execution was left to Marisa.

"Are you getting warmer yet?"

"I-I-I-It's freezing!"

Taking it upon herself to 'improve' on Patchouli's theory, Marisa has stripped Shirou off most of his warm clothing and left him hanging onto her broom. According to her, if he starts to 'synchronize' with the ice fairy then he won't feel the cold anymore.

...Though that's probably true, the idea still leaves Shirou in the freezing cold air until they can find the cause of the snow.

"Right, shall we try Makai next?"

"No~~~!"

Shirou's plea to not be taken to hell is answered when Alice intervenes. "I doubt we'll find anything there... they have that always burning furnace down that way so it's very unlikely that the culprit comes from down there." Said the doll user.

"Ah, good point..." Slowing slightly Marisa considers her next options. "Then should we try that ghost princess' place? Maybe she's stealing the season again like last time."

"No, there's not much she can do with the summer so it's very improbable."

"What about the immortals?"

"Highly unlikely."

"Then maybe someone in the Scarlet Mansion?"

"Did you even think before you speak? Patchouli is the only one with the capability to cause this snow and you were with her the entire time." Alice sternly shot down the idea.

"Ah right." Marisa said as if she just realized it. Looks even she can't keep up with her spontaneity sometimes. "So that leaves... the human village, that place up there, the forest, and the sunflower field." She muttered before stopping. "On second thought, scratch the field. **She** hates winter... So where should we search next?"

"I don't care but hurry it up. My shrine could collapse if the snow doesn't stop soon!" A very edgy Reimu pushes for the offensive. Her concern is not baseless; looking far to the east, there's still a thick cloud hanging over the area in which it still snows heavily there.

"If it does get destroyed it won't be the first time..." One dangerous look from Reimu and Marisa is quick to hide behind Alice. "O-okay then. Alice, Shirou, any thought on where we should look next?"

Shirou turns to look at her from where he's hanging. "D-d-don't care. J-just hurry it up a-already." The shivering freelancer muttered, his lips are starting to turn blue. If this keeps up it won't be only Reimu's shrine that is in danger.

As the only one that pays attentions to his condition, Alice decided to put a hold on the observation study for now. An ailing subject can't properly show their capability to the fullest after all. Also, from observing his current uninfluenced state, she can safely assume that the snow is not magical in nature. So, "The cloud..."

"Hm? What's with the cloud?"

"Patchouli mentioned something about it before we left. That's most likely a hint coming from her."

The red-white and black-white thought about it for a second before they nodded. Grinning widely, Marisa nudged her black hat forward. "All right then... going up!"

"Oh great, t-this is going to b-Eeek!" Shirou screamed in fright when Marisa pitches her broom to a near vertical climb upward.

"We're going through the clouds now. Try your best to no fall off until we're clear, all right? I won't notice if you slipped off in there."

"Gyaaaa!"

Reimu and Alice simultaneously sigh as the black-white and her 'passenger' disappeared into the cloud. "Think he can hold on until they reach Celestia?"

"... Just keep your eyes open for any falling bodies."

"I take that as a no"

* * *

><p>Shirou collapsed as soon as he hit the 'ground'. "Hah... hah... hah... I thought I was a goner..." He weakly said.<p>

"He-he, my bad." Though Marisa apologizes, the way she do so really does not justifies her blunder. It's only thanks to Alice's 'doll network coverage' and Reimu's quick flying that the freelancer is not reduced to a red stain on the ground when he falls off her broom.

"Ugh... I'm feeling cold all over... and I'm not supposed to be able to feel cold right now..." At some point when they traverse through the clouds, the freelancer's appearance started to change. Turning over, Shirou brushed the blue strands of hair with trickles of ice from his face.

"Looks like we're in the right place then." Alice calmly surveyed the area. A land towering over the clouds far above the human world, Green grasses as far as the eyes can see. Fertile grounds with peaches trees growing tall bearing many fruits. Instead of oceans there are seas of clouds act that divides the land. This is Celestia. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary though..."

"Whatever, I'm going to find a Celestial and beat some answer out of them." Not waiting any longer the shrine maiden flew off by herself.

"Oi Reimu, wait for me!" The black-white magician flew after her.

Watching the two run off, Alice wordlessly shakes her head. Having no intention to follow them, she instead sits herself down a small distance from the still recovering freelancer. Leaning on a tree, she opened a book and began reading.

"Do you always carry a book with you whenever you go?"

"... Patchouli lent me this before we left. And now is as good time as any to start reading it." She answered without looking up from her reading.

"Seriously, what is it with magicians and books?"

Though Shirou didn't expect his baseless remark to be answered, the answer came nonetheless. And surprisingly, the one that answers him is not the doll user. "It is the nature of magicians to always seek knowledge." Appearing from behind the tree Alice is leaning on is a blue haired lady, her long glowing shawl draped all over her arm and blouse. "Like fish needing water, it is only within knowledge that a magician can thrive. "

"You... how long have you been there?" Though surprised initially, Alice quickly reined in her emotion as she puts some distance between her and the oarfish youkai.

Under Alice's suspecting look, Iku Nagae calmly bows down. "I apologise for surprising you, but I have been here ever since you all arrive in Celestia. It's only now that I made my presence known." Straightening up, her gaze shifted from the doll user to the still exhausted freelancer. She stares at him for a few seconds before a light of recognition flared in the air of red eyes. "It appears you've underwent quite an image change since we last met. How do you do Shirou-san?"

"Um... this is just a temporary thing." Feeling a bit conscious about it now that it was mentioned Shirou brushed back his temporary icy blue hair. He then flinched when the sharp strands pricked his fingers. "A-anyway, who are you again?"

"My name is Iku Nagae, Envoy of the dragon palace. We once met during the gathering at the end of spring; The Eldest Daughter and I were present when you were brought to us by the Oni."

"Right... You were there with that spoiled brat. Is she around as well?" The last part is asked with barely concealed trepidation. For a guy who is used to the whimsical mind of a child, this particular Heaven's Daughter went far beyond what is his comfort zone.

If-or in her case, though she notices the disrespectful tone the freelancer uses to address her charge, Iku did not say anything against it. Instead, she lets out a resigned sigh. "The eldest daughter is currently doing her daily chores... is what I wanted to say. But unfortunately I am unable to find her presence within the peach gardens so her whereabouts are unknown to me."

"So you're saying her current activity is unknown to you." Alice surmised with her arms crossed. "Then by chance, could she be responsible for the snowstorm that is currently going on down below?"

The only indication of Iku being surprised about the snowstorm is the slightest raising of her eyebrow. "I do believe that a snowstorm is something beyond the Eldest Daughter's abilities." She said while rubbing her chin. "However... generating a snowstorm most definitely falls within the capabilities of the guests the Eldest Daughter has been entertaining for the past few days."

"Guests? Who are—"Alice suddenly stops talking as her gaze turns to the sky. Following her gaze, the other two quickly pinpoint the cause of her silence. "Looks like we've found your missing lady." She pointed to the giant boulder crashing down from the sky in the far distance.

"Does dropping mountains still count as danmaku?!" Shirou ask incredulously. From where he's standing the boulder already looks massive. He can't even imagine how big it is up close.

"Technically yes. Though the size and mass suggest otherwise, a boulder is still a projectile by definition." Alice curtly answered as if it's common knowledge. "Even then it's not exactly an efficient method. Most people can easily evade it if they see it coming..." As she says this, the giant boulder was blown out of the sky courtesy of a giant laser beam. "... and some people might prefer to face it head on instead." Groaning at the sight, Alice shakes her head exasperatedly.

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 2: Young Mistress of Bhavagra<strong>

_The daughter of heavens who felt out of place. Is this snow her doing or is she truly blameless in this. Ignorant of her daily duties, she now spotted a pair searching around her home. With a boredom filled mind she decides to confront them._

"Ugh!" Flailing as she falls, Tenshi manages to recover just seconds before she hits the ground. As soon as she does, her eyes locked on to one of the bigger debris that is currently falling through the skies. Raising her The Sword of Hisou up above her head, she waited until the debris is directly in front of her before she swings. As she does, a whirlwind blows out sending the debris hurling forward.

In response to the celestial attacks, Marisa unleashed a bombardment of bullets. As the two attacks collided it kicks up a large dust cloud that blocks the girls' vision of each other. Of course, lack of vision did nothing to stop bullets from flying, and this is proven when Reimu blew past the dust cloud as she barrels straight towards the Celestial.

_**Spirit Sigh: Fantasy Seal**_

A number of glowing bullets shots out toward the Celestial who quickly in response stabs her sword to the ground.

_**Heaven and Earth: Land that Oversees the Distant World Below**_

The ground that was stabbed suddenly shot up to the sky. The bullets that Reimu fires curves upward as they tries to follow their target, but it is no avail as they're unable to match the ever increasing pillar. The rising ground pillar shook as the bullets collided with it. It's only thanks to the sword in her hand that the quake did not throw her off the pillar.

"I call unfair! Two against one is completely unjust!" She whined/complained loudly.

"Hey, don't blame this on us. You're the one that attacked first, so you forfeit any complaining rights you could've had." Answered Marisa as she hovers a good safe distance away from the now sulking Celestia.

"Yeah? W-well... you're the one that showed up here uninvited for no reason!"

"Oh, we got plenty of reason to be here." A scowling Reimu told the Celestia who flinched when she notices the dark aura around the shrine maiden. "Not once but twice you targeted my shrine. I might've held back last time, but this time... I'm not pulling any punches at all." Danger is rolling off in waves from the red-white that even the black-white edges away from her.

"W-what do I care? That eyesore of a shrine should've just stay destroyed instead of having you leeching off the place!"

"... I'm going to make you cry." If one looks at the shrine maiden right now, they won't see a pure or righteous person. Instead, they will see a horrifying demon that were about to deliver judgement on a pitiful soul.

_**Holy Relic: Ying Yang Sanctifier Orb**_

Tenshi and Marisa's eyes widened as the shrine maiden creates a massive ying-yang orb out of immense spiritual energy and hurl it thing straight at the Celestial. For a comparison note, this one is twice the size of the one she usually throws and 10 times bigger than the one she usually uses express her displeasure to Shirou.

"Oh sh—" There's a blinding white light followed by an explosive shockwave as the massive spiritual orb hits the earth pillar. Under the force of the attack the earth pillar didn't stand a chance as it were completely obliterated; the top part is all but vaporized and the rest soon crumbles down.

Watching the devastation from a safe distance, Marisa can only shakes her head in awe. "... Reimu, overkill much?"

"I don't want to hear that from you." Reimu argues back.

"Touche. But that's still a lot of power behind that attack. Did that Celestial even made it out alive?"

"As much as I hoped otherwise, she made it out just fine." Reimu irritably looks down.

Turning her eyes to where the shrine maiden is looking, Marisa spots the Celestial looking slightly worse to wear on the ground. Beside her is a familiar dragon envoy attending to the Celestial.

"Cough, cough. That damn Shrine Maiden didn't pull punches in that last one." Tenshi says as she coughed up the dirt she accidently swallowed in her escape.

Iku frowned upon Tenshi's speech. "Do be careful with your speech Eldest Daughter. It's very inappropriate for a Celestial of your position to use such rough words."

"Screw that! That shrine maiden is going to pay for what she's done!"

Iku silently shakes her head at her ward's untamed behaviour. She really needs to up the Eldest Daughter's education. From proper languages to proper manners; such as expressing gratitude toward someone who risked themself to pull her out of harm's way.

There will be much lecturing to be done after this, but for now...

"So the oarfish is also here. No more complaint of unfair play now right?"

"Yeah sure! Bring it on!"

... How troublesome. And to think this is all for naught. Whether she wins or lose the Eldest Daughter will not gain anything and neither will the shrines maiden nor the magician since the Eldest Daughter is not the one who's responsible for the snowy weather.

Honestly speaking, the Eldest Daughter might not completely blameless in this incident, but that's another point for another time.

Assuredly, the responsible parties are...

* * *

><p>"Over here right?"<p>

"Yes. According to that oarfish, that's where those two will be."

Having received direction from the oarfish youkai, Alice and Shirou are moving away from where Reimu and Marisa are. It might seem cold of them to ignore their fighting allies, but the thought of giving a helping hand didn't even enter their mind.

Whether they were prioritizing to solving the incidents first or simply don't care about the two is irrelevant... kind of. Then again, neither tries to stop the oarfish from going to help the Celestial so it could be both.

"She could've lied to us you know." Shirou asked.

"Of course. But there's always the possibility that she's telling the truth." Alice has her dolls out to scout out the areas. With all the tiny hands searching behind every nook and cranny it's almost impossible for them to miss anything. Hence why the two can casually converse as they walked through a peach orchard.

"I guess that's true..." Shirou nodded reluctantly. Tiredly he looks up to the clear sky, only to yelp when tiny hands grabbed on to his hair so it won't fall off. "Ow my hair... Just what is this thing doing on my head?"

"It's protecting you in case we run into trouble."

"Are you expecting any?"

"Considering who we're trying to find? I most definitely do."

"Good point. Here's hoping she won't step on me again."

"You can only hope." There's probably pity in that sentence just now, but if there is it is hidden deep beneath thick layers of neutrality. Unfortunately there's no time for Shirou to dissect her words as Alice felt a slight tugging and turn straight to her right. "... Found them."

"Damn..."

"What's the matter? Are you getting cold feet after coming this far?"

"Honestly my feet have been cold ever since Marisa dragged me away from the mansion."

"... Heheh."

"... Please don't judge me."

* * *

><p><strong>Stage 3: Free-Spirited Oni<strong>

_As buoyant as the air, she comes and goes just like the wind. Her head full of fog and never once does it clears away. Just what kind of whimsical thoughts run through the mind of this tiny/little pandemonium?_

Perched comfortably on top of a peach tree, Suika took a large swig of her gourd, Her tiny body easily supported by the thick branches. Just below her around the tree trunk are many sake bottles, both empty and full. "What's this? I wasn't expecting any more guests, but the more the merrier...hic." She slurred drunkenly when she saw the two coming.

"Only an Oni can create this much mess by themself..." Alice muttered in disdain while surveying the messy area.

"Suika..." Shirou can't help but to furrow his nose from the overwhelming stench of sake.

"Oh? If it isn't Shirou. You should've been here last night... we partied, we drank and we played all night long..."

"Yeah... that sounded great... and unhealthy..." Imagining the activities that took place here last night causes him to shiver. Amidst the wild imagination in his head, a certain fact came to an abrupt realization. "Wait, you said 'we'? You're saying you got the other one drunk too?"

"But of course! She drank aplenty, like fish in a barrel." Saying that, Suika rolled off the branches she was laying on. Crash landing into the pile of bottles underneath the tree, Suika staggered up looking no worse to wear. "Hey... didn't you promise that you'd have a drink with me?"

"H-huh? Didn't we do that already a while back?"

"... But you only drank one bottle... Don't you wanna drink more?"

"Uh..." Shirou starts to back away from the completely smashed drunk oni as he realizes that he has been put between a rock and a hard place. Him saying yes could potentially lead to death by alcohol poisoning, but him saying no would also leads to the same end due to a drunk oni that won't take no for an answer. Quite the dangerous predicament he find himself in. "Like I said, we already—"

"Quiet Shirou, she won't listen to excuses in her current state of inebriation." Alice quickly intervened before Shirou says something that'll set off the oni. Thinking quickly, the doll user move herself in front the freelancer hoping to divert the oni's attention. "I'm sorry to say this, but can you put off the drink for now? Shirou-san and I are currently in the middle of incident investigation."

"Oh? An incident?" Said the oni with her head tilted questioningly.

"Yes, currently there's an unnatural snow blowing in Gensokyo. We're hoping-"

"Ah I did that one."

The quick admittance throw Alice off guard that she got her words taken from her. In her place, it was Shirou speaks up again. "T-that was you?"

"Yup! he-he..."

"I see... That explains how the cloud formed so quickly this morning. The ability to manipulate density... all you need to do is chill the gathered clouds and it naturally will start to snow." Alice surmised.

"S-seriously?" Shirou can hardly believe what he hears. "But why snow? Why are you doing this?"

"Isn't it obvious? " The oni said a matter-of-factly. "It's too hot right now. Reimu was complaining about the heat all day yesterday, so I thought, why not make it cooler for her?"

"Reimu did huh..."

"Is that why the snow is concentrated on her shrine?" Alice groaned. Trying to figure out what this oni is thinking is starting to give her a headache.

"Yup! Tenshi suggested that pile the snow there so Reimu won't be hot anymore."

"..." Alice and Shirou were completely speechless at the oni's reasons. Let this be a lesson that the whim of an oni is truly a mysterious thing; it can be spontaneous, naive, and hazardous all at the same time.

"A-anyway, the snow is causing trouble down below so it'll need to stop, now." Alice said after she gathered her thoughts back. "I assume the main cause of this incident is somewhere nearby, right?"

"Yeah! She's over there somewhere, I think." Suika points to an area over yonder.

"Great, then we just have to find her, make her stop using her powers on the clouds, and the snow should stop. Let's go Shirou-san." Alice urgently said while turning around. It's obvious by her behavior that they shouldn't linger near the oni much longer.

"O-okay." He moves to follow, but then... "Hwack!" Shirou yelped when something yanked him back.

"Oy Shirou! How about a drink before you go?" With a strong grip on his collar, Suika drags him through the ground toward her sake pile. "You won't say no to some of my sake would you?"

"Eh? No-I mean, o-of course not! Why would I say no? Ah-ha-ha...!" Looking at Alice she only gave him a sympathetic look at his capture. He's on his own. "... But maybe just a small cup?"

"Why?" Taking her hand off Shirou's collar, Suika rummaged through her sake pile and reveal a not so small pile of sake hidden underneath. "I still got plenty of sake left...hic!

"...!" Looking at the many bottles of sake Shirou pales almost instantly. He would've passed out drunk with just half of those, drinking that many is easily a recipe for disaster! "On second thought, can I hold off the drinks for now? Alice-san might need my help with that one." One look at the doll user and it's pretty obvious that she's quite insulted by the idea of needing help, but anything to get him out of drinking with an oni.

"Eh? Then who's going to help me finish it all?"

"Um..." Ignoring the fact that the oni can easily drink all of it by herself, just what kind of answer should he gives her?

"What if I drink with you?" A new voice answered.

Alice looks up to the source of the voice only to double back in surprise when she saw a very unexpected person there. "Y-Yuuka!? What are you doing here?" Her voice is torn between shock and awe with a hint of fear.

The flower youkai smiled smugly as she approaches. "A little bug gave me direction towards here before it was squashed. From what it told me I understand that someone up here has been playing around a bit too much with the snow. So, I'm here to tell them that play time is over because my garden really doesn't like the cold. And as you're aware, what my flowers don't like, I also don't like." Her eye turns dangerous! Blood thirsty even! "Now then, doll user, and that human over there. Don't you two have somewhere else you have to be?" She told them. "While I deal with this oni I want you two to do the same to the other one as well. Do so quickly or I will place you responsible for my garden as well"

"... Shirou-san, let's go."

"O-okay."

Seeing the two quickly vacating the area, Yuuka turn her attention back to the drunk oni. "Now then, about that drink... isn't it always said that the best drink is the one after a hard day of activities?"

"Ooo~~ that's right! You're really smart...!"

"Indeed I am..." After saying that, she closes her parasol with a light snap.

**Flowering Sign: Undying Pasture**

Swirling bullets flying in a pattern not unlike a flower rained down onto the ground. In response to the assault, Suika 'lightly' slams her foot down causing a condensed earth wall to appear between her and the incoming bullets. As the bullets slams to the wall, many cracks starts to form on it, but surprisingly the wall held strong under assault.

Noticing the wall's sturdiness, Yuuka casually waves her arm and the bullet assault ceases to be. "Heh, looks like I can't be taking it easy this time around." As she says that, she notices that the oni's dirt wall starts to wobble slghtly. Reacting by instinct, she quickly zoomed to the right, a move that is proven wise when the condensed earth wall flew past her after being thrown by the oni.

"Don't forget about that drink after this okay?" Suika slurred while waving back and forth from her drunkenness.

"I'm looking forward to it, but first..." Snapping open her parasol once again, Yuuka then points it toward the oni. "... For the pre-banquet activity." She starts to spins her parasol in a most hypnotic manner. It's so hypnotic that it's almost like there's two parasols and two Yuuka now. "Can you handle this?" A large energy build up starts to form in front of the 'two' parasol.

"Ha-ha! Let's have good drink after this!' Suika said a bit too happily. Taking a big swig from her gourd, she then raised her hand up high where a small light began to glow and forming into a card in her tiny palm.

**Oni God: Missing Purple Power**

**Fantasy Sign: Dual Spark**

* * *

><p><strong>Final Stage: Unnatural Chill<strong>

_Dancing in the clouds, her mind is dulled by the copious amount of alcohol she has consumed. What would she say if she actually realized that she has singlehandedly changed the whole weather of Gensokyo?_

"Um... Alice-san..." Shirou fearfully muttered as another big shockwave rippled from behind them.

"Don't look back. Keep your eyes on the problems ahead, not the ones behind."

"R-right." Nodding to the doll user, Shirou turns his gaze to a wobbling blue light in the far distance. "But even if you say that... I can't really do much here." Peering down the edge of the hill they're on, he saw nothing but clouds underneath.

It looks like they have run out of ground. What lies ahead of them is a sea of clouds that separates the celestial realm from one another. Without the ability of flight he won't be going any further than this.

"Figures..." Alice sighed while putting on a pair of gloves on her hands. Tightening the straps, the doll user flexed her fingers lightly. "But that's to be expected I suppose. Just wait right here, I'll deal with her myself." She says while moving away.

"Hey wait, what about this doll?"

Looking behind her, Alice saw him holding the doll she place on him earlier. "It's fine. Shanghai will keep you out of trouble." She refers to the doll.

"Say what...?" But Shirou didn't get any reply as the doll user already flew away in chase of the blue light. Uncertain, he looks at the tiny doll that sitting quietly in the palm of his hand while staring at him with its lifeless eyes. "... Could you stop staring at me, it's kind of creepy." Hearing that, the doll crossed its tiny arms looking like its insulted by his comment. "I'm sorry?" Now the doll looks away refusing to meet his eyes. "Right... creepy..." Resigned to be in the company of the strange doll, Shirou sighed while he sits down on the ground. The doll also follow suit though it perched itself on his head again. "I really hope your owner gets back soon..."

The doll can't answer him of course, but far in the distance its owner shakes her head. Though they are separated by miles away, the master still holds a connection, though imperfect, with her dolls allowing her to be aware of what's happening around it. "What a weird human..."She mused slightly before her mind snaps back to the task at hand as a hail of icy bullet whizz past her. "Not good enough." With a quick movement of her fingers, a number of dolls flew in front of her to shield her from the assault.

"Hahah! Toys like that is no match against the strongest... Hic!" Flying around her, a still drunk light blue ice fairy taunted her while letting loose another assault of icy bullets toward the doll user.

"How ignorant..." Bringing a few more dolls to play, she moves them intercept the incoming bullets. "My dolls are enchanted with many defensive properties; from basic protection against blunt and slashing damage, I also added elemental resistance effect from fire, water, thunder, and of course, the cold." Exactly as she says, though the dolls took the full brunt of the attacks head on, none of them were damaged whatsoever. At worst there are a few that got covered in ice, but the dolls easily shook of the ice in seconds.

"...Hic! Then what about this...hic!"

**Ice Sign: Sword Freezer**

A sword of pure ice materializes in her hand which the ice fairy then throws toward Alice. "Why a sword...?" Though perplexed by the random move, Alice quickly reacted by sending a trio of dolls toward the incoming ice sword.

**Sword Sign: Soldier of Cross**

The trio of dolls pulls out large blades very unbefitting of their size and proceed to chop the ice fairy's icy sword into tiny little pieces that did little to penetrate the defensive doll walls Alice has put up.

"That's cheating...hic! You can't do that!"

"... Who says I can't?"

"I say so... hic!"

**Ice Cube: Great Crusher**

Conjuring a massive boulder of ice in her hand, the ice fairy lifted high above her head "I am the strongest!...Hic!" As she brings it down, a wave of misty frost melded into the already massive boulder making it even bigger.

As the now towering ice boulder comes crashing down on her, Alice simply shakes her head. "Over too simplistic..."

**War Sign: Little Legion**

The ice boulder came to a halt when a ring of spinning dolls collided with it. Though the little dolls cannot completely stop the boulder, it still got enough momentum behind their spin to slightly deflect the trajectory of the boulder, making it miss hitting Alice by a less than an arm's length.

"Give it up, you can't win against me." Alice said a matter-of-factly, looking completely unaffected by near miss with the boulder.

"You're mocking me...hic! How dare you..." Like a child throwing a tantrum the ice fairy starts to complain. "I'm stronger than you! The best there is... hic! I won't lose to someone like you!" The ice fairy is fuming so much that she stops moving.

Seeing the opportunity Alice did not waste it. "... I'm going to end this now."

**Scarlet Sign: Red-Haired Dutch Dolls**

A number of dolls appear around Alice and they each let loose a barrage of green and red beams aimed directly at the ice fairy.

"...!" At the very last second the fairy notices the incoming assault and she tries to move out of the way. Though she manages to evade most of the attack, a couple shots still manage to graze her. "Hey I wasn't ready!" The fairy starts to complain again only to be silenced by another wave of bullet barrage from the doll user.

Expertly managing her dolls, Alice didn't let up her assault. She got more than a dozen dolls out under her control, each firing magical bullets and beams that fill the sky in a most harmonic manner. It's hard to believe that a single puppeteer can achieve such perfect coordination while managing so many dolls at once, but Alice is managing to do so easily.

With her nicely coordinated attack, the ice fairy should go down shortly... if only. "Damn, it's flying so erratically." Alice scowled as the ice fairy made another random turn. She's been trying to corner the fairy into a situation where it won't be able to escape from her bullets, but time and time again the fairy make illogical movements that throw her plan into whack. It's like the ice fairy isn't thinking straight and just randomly fly where it want to as if it's... drunk. "This complicates things..."

And as Alice predicted, the cat and mouse game lasted for much longer than she wanted as the match entered into a weird one sided stalemate. Though the ice fairy took many glancing hits occasionally, not once does the doll user manage to land a solid hit on it. And while the ice fairy manages to sneak in a few shots of her own none manage to penetrate Alice's defensive dolls.

This 'stalemate' lasted for a few minutes before it's finally broken. And the one who did it, did it because... just because.

"Okay enough...hic! Now see if you can withstand my true power!" Being overconfident as always, the drunken ice fairy loudly declares.

**Frozen Sign: Freeze Atmosphere**

The temperature suddenly drops even lower than before as the ice fairy unleashed hundreds if not thousands of frozen particles. These are not bullets but more like natural phenomenon that was caused by the drastically dropping temperature. Though not dangerous, they're still a cause of trouble for these frozen particles latch on to everything and coat them in frost. As the frozen particles reaches Alice, a thin layer of ice starts to cover her body. Although she easily shrugs them off, the effect of this spell card does not end there.

"Ugh... my strings are frozen?" Indeed, if one looks very closely, there are many thin frosted lines all around Alice. Those are her dolls strings that have been encased in ice. With them frozen, the effect is almost instantaneous as her dolls that previously moved feely in the air suddenly start to become sluggish in their movement.

Even Cirno, drunk as she is, also notices the differences. "Shivering from my power aren't you, hic! That's what you got from trying to challenge me!" She didn't even realize that she actually did something smart by limiting the doll user's ability with her ice manipulation... an idiot will always be an idiot, even when said idiot wasn't even thinking from having too much alcohol blocking her idiotic mind. Realities harsh truth there...

But still, what's done is done. With the restriction placed on her, Alice is unable to continue the danmaku match properly. "I could melt the ice if I use more magic power, but the drain will be..."

"Behold now! And see... that I am... the strongest! ... Hic!"

"Tsk!" Alice sluggishly moves her dolls to block the ice fairy's renewed assault. "I can't believe I'm having a hard time against this one. Marisa will never let me hear the end of it if she ever finds out." The slightest movement of her dolls uses up a significant amount of her magic power. She won't be able to keep this up for long; she'll be in trouble if the match doesn't end soon.

"Come on...hic! Come on!"

"Ugh...!" The ice fairy's bullets slowly start to push her back as her dolls become more sluggish by the second. To make it worse, the enchantments on her dolls starts to lose their effectiveness as her magic power diminish. A few of her dolls already stops moving after being frozen. "... Don't have any other choices now do I?" Pulling back one of her doll, she took hold of it in her hands. "I'm sorry." She regretfully says to it.

**Magic Sign: Artful Sacrif—**

Just as she about to activate the doll kamikaze spell card, she felt an unexpected tug from one of her dolls in a place far behind; the one doll that she left with the freelancer. "... Very well." Not wasting any time, Alice pulls back all her doll and flew away from the ice fairy.

"Aah! You can't run from me! Wait!"

Alice didn't have to look back to know that the ice fairy is chasing after her. "Whatever plan you got I sure hope it works..." Saying that, she flew straight to the spot where she last left the freelancer.

Not far on the edge of the land, Shirou cautiously observe the rapidly approaching figures. Drawing his sword out from its sheath, he then also took out a spell card of his own. "**Shattered boundary: The ever changing illusion of reality**"Instantly his fading blue hair turns back to icy blue. Exhaling, he can see his breath as the air around him becomes colder.

He then took out another spell card. "**Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion" **Cold air swirls around in his palm which he uses to grasp his sword so that he's holding it with both hands. "All right... can you tell your owner to fly a bit lower please?" Not a second after he say that to the doll in his head he can see Alice slowly descend as she approaches.

"All right then... let's do this."As he finishes talking, a gale of cold air burst out around him. Lifting his sword up, the cold air moves up from him and starts encompasses the dull edges of his sword, causing it to glow blue with icy mist trailing from it. "Alice-san! Out of the way!"

Seeing the curious phenomenon in front of her, the doll user quickly does as she was told.

"**Forged Sign: Minus Zero Degree-Flash!"**

With a mighty downward swing, the freelancer's sword crackled from the concentrated ice power. As if bursting out from the inside, the sword has turned itself into a giant 10 foot cleaver made completely of ice; but it doesn't stop jut there. Layers and layers and layers of ice keep piling up on to the sword rapidly, and in less than a second, the sword has turned into something... quite monstrous.

The poor ice fairy can't even do anything before a ridiculously massive ice cleaver falls on top of her sending her plummeting through the cloud below like a swatted fly. The probability of her coming back up again after taking such a strong hit is slim to none.

On a sidenote, there's at least 200 metres distance between the fairy and Shirou. It's important to note here that she was not hit by the upper half of the lengthy ice blade. But it's even more important to note that the reason Shirou hasn't tip over the edge of Celestia from holding on to the dead weight that is his sword is because the top end of his blade has found a foot hold on a mountaintop on the far side of the cloud ocean. That's almost 10 Kilometres!

"Shirou-san you..." Even Alice can't hold back her surprise after seeing the ridiculous feat.

Looking even more surprised than Alice, Shirou bewilderingly looks between the hilt in his hand and the tip on the far distance. "Crap... I lost control of the spell card just now." His hair has returned back to their usual dark colour suggesting that he has used up every ounce of the ice fairy's power within him in that one attack. "Um... am I in trouble?"

"I... don't think so. Celestia won't break that easily and last I checked you're not an oni." The doll user said. "But even though I said that... you probably should put that away before anyone comes looking."

"Ah, right." Taking hold of the hilt strongly, Shirou pulls out the sword, separating it from the ice.

_*Crack! _The sound echoes loudly in the quiet clearing.

"Uh-oh." Shirou felt a different kind of chill runs down his spine as hundreds if not thousand tiny cracks starts to run through the abandoned ice cleaver. "Run!"

Grabbing the stunned Alice by the hands, Shirou drags her running with him toward the small peach orchards near them. No sooner that they entered the cover of the trees they heard with one final thunderous crack and then... nothing.

"...?" As seconds passed and nothing else happened, Shirou and Alice peeked out from their hiding place and saw that the titanic ice cleaver has all but disappeared without a trace. "Huh, was that it? I was expecting something more... explodey"

"That is indeed strange." Alice said as she looks around the area." Something that massive can't easily disappear just like that."

"Yeah, but where did... huh?" A tiny white spec floated down in front of Shirou's eyes. Catching it in his palm, he watches it melted into water just by the heat from his body.

"That is... a snowflake. Could it be?" Starting to figure it out, Alice looks around and saw that more of the same thing is dropping down all over the place.

Noticing the same thing as the doll user, Shirou started to figure it out as well. "Are you kidding me!?" His anguished scream did nothing to stop the snow from falling onto Celestia.

* * *

><p>Having beaten the Celestia's Eldest Daughter and her escort not too long ago in a lengthy drawn-out match, the shrine maiden left magician in charge of the 'clean-up' before she took off toward the source of the tremors she felt earlier. Arriving at what she assumes is the source judging by the craters on the ground, she went and look around only to find nothing there. Luckily for her, she soon stumbles into Alice and Shirou not too far from there.<p>

One question and many answers later, she's now shaking her head at the story that she heard. "What about this snow then?" Reimu asked.

"Um..." At the shrine maiden's question, Shirou turns to Alice for answer only to get an indifferent shrug in return. "I guess... a bad use of a spell card?"

"Whose spell card?"

"...Mine."

"Okay I don't want to know anymore." Reimu cut him short the second she heard him. Fortunately for Shirou, having successfully vented her anger on Tenshi earlier, Reimu seems more amused than distressed at the falling snow in Celestia. "But at least you two took down that ice fairy, so the snow should stop soon right?"

Alice nodded. "Yes, I believe so. Without the ice fairy keeping the temperature down, the weather will return to normal soon enough."

"Normal huh... back to the hot summer days I guess..." Reimu sighed.

Hearing the shrine maiden complaining a forgotten fact makes pops back up in Shirou's mind. "Oh, I forget to mention this earlier; we run into Suika up here. She said she's the one that gathered the clouds together."

"You did!? What in the world is that drunkard doing?"

Ironically the answer to that question is the hakurei shrine maiden herself and her whining about the hot weather that motivated the oni to lend a helping hand and caused the incident. But one shared look between the two who's aware of this fact and it is agreed that it's best for them if they keep quiet about this.

"So have you two dealt with her as well or should I do it myself?"

"Actually, someone unexpected showed up to deal with the oni. Though thinking about it wasn't really surprising for that person to show up." Alice shakes her head.

"That person?"

"I believe she's referring to me." Everyone tensed up as the person they're talking suddenly appears.

"Speak of the devil." Alice sighed as said person casually strolled toward them, her parasol resting lightly on her shoulder.

"Yuuka... so you're getting involved in this as well." The shrine maiden carefully eyed the green haired youkai.

Spotting some bruises and scratches after her tussle with the oni, Yuuka wryly smiled at the three. "How could I not when my poor garden was buried in snow? Anyway, I've got the oni working to disperse the clouds again on a promise of a drink, so my precious flowers can have the last sun ray of the day that it was denied for the better part of the day."

"I see... so I guess that's everything then. Incident solved."

"I agree... if not for one last thing that still needs to be dealt with." Poor Alice and Shirou stiffen when the youkai turns toward them. "Earlier I said that you two were to deal with the ice fairy with due haste did I not? I know you two heard me clearly back then, so why does it take so long to beat that other one? I am most displeased with the lack of effort." She's eyeing them like a predator staring at her prey, an idiom which unfortunately describes the situation almost too perfectly. "With that said, which one of you will take responsibility for the extra time my flowers had to go in the cold?"

"Oi Yuuka..." Reimu sighed. She knows better than to try to talk Yuuka out of this, so but she still shows her displeasure at what the flower youkai is doing.

"Don't worry about a thing Reimu, this might even be quite an enlightening experience." Grinning almost viciously, Yuuka lifted her hand and rested it on the shoulder of her chosen prey. "Right Shirou?"

The freelancer paled as he looks between the grinning face and the hand in his shoulder. "Eh?"

**To Be Continued in the Extra Stage**

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><p><strong>Day 74: End<strong>

**First thing firsts... I'm sorry for the cliffhanger! As usual, a chapter is by the day, and following that rule I am obliged to end the chapter there. **

**Secondly, as usual, mentions any things that doesn't make sense if you spot any. I did reread this chapter 8 times, but the final tweaking is done past midnight so my sleepy self could start writing things that doesn't make sense. **

**Read and review people. And thank you kindly for reading my story. Until next time.**


	19. Day 75: A Battle Amidst A Thousand Suns

**Disclaimer: I don't own Touhou**

**Okay... what am I supposed to say here...**

**Hi, it's been a while. I now have a full time job which is 2.5 hours away from home. That's 5 hours of travel time per day!. I Leave early at dawn and comes back home around 9 PM. So i"m very sorry that I was unable to write more often. Thankfully I now have moved to a much closer job, only an hour travel time. Hence why I'm able to write again.**

**So... it's been a long time coming, but here it is.**

**Day 75: A Battle Amidst A Thousand Suns.**

* * *

><p>"Okay, firstly; Yuuka rarely holds back on her punches so try to not get hit at all." Marisa lectured her freelancer friend as they, the black-white magician, the red-white shrine maiden, and the freelancer, walks toward the distant garden. "Second, stay away from her garden. All of the flowers there are on her side so always mind your distance. And Third..."<p>

"Do we have to go through this again? I feel like it's the only thing I've been hearing since yesterday." Shirou sighed.

"_I wish we could have our match today, but I need to tend to my garden. It'll take the whole day, so let's delay our match until tomorrow. At noon, come to my garden; ask those three if you don't know the way."_ That is what the flower youkai said to him yesterday. One restless night later and here he is heading toward a field of flowers where he would most probably be completely trounced in a one sided slaughter.

"Hey, as far as I'm concerned, your continued existence is up to Yuuka now. So you should listen to it as many time as you can. Continuing on, thirdly! You must not provoke her whatsoever. She's usually cool as a cucumber most of the times so don't act like me and you'll be fine." Marisa grinned widely, completely ignoring the two sighing beside her. "And lastly, this is the most important one... you must-"

"—never touch her flowers, I get it. Seriously, you've only told me about this a dozen times or so-Ack!" Shirou doubles over in pain as Reimu bopped him on the head with the rear end of her warding stick.

"Quit talking back!" Reimu scolded him.

"Why you...!" Holding the bump on his head, the freelancer growled at the shrine maiden who met his challenging glare with her own.

Noticing the usual build up, Marisa is quick to interject between them before words starts flying. "Oh, would you look at that, we're here already." Picking up her pace, the magician skips forward to the flower field. "Alice is already there as well. I told you we should've just flied here." She said as she spots a familiar dolls user standing by the sunflower field.

Alice gave the trio an irate look as they approach. "I thought you said we'd meet up here in the morning" She glances at the sun high in the sky. "It's almost noon now."

"It's not our fault. Shirou here disappeared when we went to get him in the morning and it took a while before we found him."

"You didn't say anything about meeting up in the morning so you cannot blame me if I went off to do other things before the appointed time." Shirou countered the magician. He was so surprised when he comes back home to find a fuming shrine maiden who dragged him out of the house without so much of a word.

"What were you doing so early in the morning?"

"Um..." To be honest he has been doing morning sword exercise with the half-ghost gardener for some time now thanks to the ever convenient shortcut access to Hakugyokuro. 100 swings a day to train his form followed by a quick match has become part of his daily routine. "I was doing some last minute training?"

"And how much will that help against Yuuka?" Alice asked cynically.

Shirou nervously scratched his head. "Probably not so much... but it's better than just sitting around doing nothing right?"

The girls glance at each other. 'Futile' being the keyword in each girl's mind right now, but none say it out loud since one, he's just doing the best he can, and two, he'll find out by himself soon enough in the next few minutes as a familiar green haired figure approaches.

"Good afternoon to you all." Her yellow parasol hanging above her head, the flower youkai greeted them with calm and cool manner in the middle of the summer heat. Her smile is as bright and disarming as the sun, or for her case, the sunflowers. "Shall we begin?"

And just like that, the summer heat is all gone, replaced by a cold chill that runs through his veins.

* * *

><p><strong>Extra Stage: Flower Master of the Four Seasons.<strong>

_A powerful youkai that some claimed as the strongest Gensokyo. In a rare moment of aggression toward an innocent bystander, she cordially 'invited' him to a danmaku match. Is this a simple test? Or is there something else behind her motivation? Whatever the case, the freelancer is now under her mercy. However, will she show him said mercy?_

Shirou involuntarily shivers as he stands across from the flower youkai. Currently she's spotting the most pleasant smile on her face, but behind that pleasant front, lurks one of the most powerful residents of Gensokyo. According to Reimu, the chance of him beating her is close to null. There's just that much of a power difference.

The only thing he can do is use the small amount of time Yuuka will amuse herself with him to do his best and maybe, just maybe, he can catch her off guard to land a lucky hit… hopefully…

He unconsciously tightens his grip on his blade as Reimu walks off to the side after she finishes talking with Yuuka. Her eyes met his and she shrugs. It seems her attempt to dissuade Yuuka is unsuccessful; their match will happen. There's a small comfort that she gave them her word that she will not kill him, but then again she didn't say anything about bodily injuries.

Shirou shivers from the promises of pain, and a second after that he dives aside, just in time as the ground beneath him exploded from being hammered by numerous greenish bullets.

"Focus! I can't promise your life if your mind is not in this match." Yuuka told/threaten him.

Cursing to himself for missing the opening move, Shirou scrambles back to his feet just in time to once again throw himself to the ground as another wave of bullets comes surging at him. This time, he doesn't even have time to get back up as he quickly roll aside to avoid the next wave, and the next, and the next, and—"Gah!" A bullet landed just next to his head, blowing no small amount of dirt right at his face and into his eyes.

Pressured further with the dirt in his eyes, the freelancer desperately tries to wipe the dirt off to no avail as his opponent didn't give him even a second to do just that. The dancing lights that keeps flickering through his blurry sight tells him just that. "Dammit just let me get up already!" Frustrated at his pathetic display so far, Shirou pushes hard off the ground and... got launched high up into the air.

"Holy...!" Shirou found himself short of breath as he looked down to the ground far below.

* * *

><p>Reimu palmed her face with enough force to left an imprint on her skin. The loud smacking sound turns a grinning Marisa towards her. The black-white magician is clearly enjoying herself from the sideline. "Heheh, can't say I expected something like this to happen... But its unexpected things like this that makes it such a good show. Right? ...Right?" She repeats herself when she didn't get any response.<p>

Alice didn't bother to response to her fellow magician as she looks upward to the sky. "I didn't realize he knew how to fly." She said.

"He doesn't." Said a peeved looking Reimu.

"... Then shouldn't we be helping him now?"

"There's no need. As he is, that kind of fall won't kill him."

* * *

><p>"I'm not gonna die... I'm not gonna die... I'm not gonna-Gah!" Crashing hard onto the ground, Shirou rolls and tumbles a few meters before he stopped. "Okay that didn't hurt as much as I expected." Though his head is spinning, his body barely felt any pain from the massive fall he just took. Even the shoulder that he landed on is perfectly fine minus a few minor scratches.<p>

Easily getting back up looking no worse for wear, Shirou drew his sword out as he scanned for his opponent, quickly spotting her about 15 metres across of him.

"So the tengus are correct for once. You really are an interesting one." If Yuuka was surprised then she held it in perfectly. Instead she has a curious yet amused smirk on her face.

Not waiting for a reply from him, the sky is alight with a new wave of bullets, white and green. "How will you handle this I wonder?" With a silent command, the bullet starts moving. The round white bullets gently float down to the ground while the sharper shaped green bullets aimed to batter Shirou directly.

Quickly moving out of the way, Shirou too starts returning fire. With practiced, albeit awkward gestures, a number of prismatic bullets, nearing a dozen, appeared in front of him where they stay quietly for a second before being launch forward.

Seeing the direct attack, Yuuka easily evades the incoming bullets with very minimal movements. In fact, she does it with such ease that she still finds the time to unleash another wave of greenish bullets right at Shirou.

Seeing the bullets coming his way, Shirou backs away from it. But as he does so, he notices that the green bullets trajectory go close to the drifting down white bullets. The white bullets shudder...

Shirou have to dive out of the way as the white bullets suddenly pick up speed and came rushing towards him.

Landing in a crouch, Shirou quickly saw more and more green coloured bullets coming at him from all different direction, with more white bullets in their path. And just like before, all the white bullets sped up as if they were being pushed by the green bullets.

This pattern... it's almost like tufts of dandelion were being blown by the wind. Mystifyingly beautiful, but if he's not careful, he'd end up with something much worse than simple hay fever.

"Grh...!" With all the bullets wheezing around him, it took all Shirou had just to avoid being hit. Painfully aware that he was being pressured down, he raised up his sword. "How about this then?!"

* * *

><p><strong>Flashback:<strong>

"_Ack!" Shirou fumbles backward as he cradles his right hand, sword clattering on the ground__._

_A concerned half-ghost girl quickly runs to his side, her ghost half right behind her. "Shirou-san! Are you all right?" _

"_I'm... I'm okay..." Though he says that, the numbness on his hand causes him to cringe in pain just with the slightest twitch. "And I thought I got it right that time" Glancing at his sword, he notes the fading light shimmering away from the cool metal._

"_I told you already, your weapon is just not meant for cutting. Whatever Yukari-sama did to it guarantees it." _

"_But I cut a Master Spark at one time." He says this aware that Youmu knows of this fact. He once told her when they first started to train together. He can still remember the skeptical look she gave him back then so clearly..._

"_From what you told me, that was a full powered magic blast that came out from the blade. You didn't hit it directly. The outcome would be very different otherwise... Very different"_

_Shirou shivered as he imagines the different outcome that Youmu implied."Okay, so cutting won't work. But you know..."He pick up his sword and looks at the blunted edge. "I bet with enough power I could make it work."_

"_But you'd already put a lot of power into that last attempt and it still doesn't work."_

"_I wasn't talking about that kind of power..."_

**Flashback Ends**

* * *

><p>As the horde of bullets approaches, Shirou springs forward. Ducking and twisting his body, he evades the ones that he can. The ones he couldn't evade... were met with a glowing sword. "Hah!" With a mighty swing, several of the incoming bullets were blown apart by the sheer force of the blow.<p>

With the way cleared, the freelancer pushes on forward. His eyes firmly locked on to his opponent who looked more and more amused than before.

Another wave of bullets closed in from his right side. In response, Shirou speeds up even further. Moving at a speed most humans could only dream of, he barely paid heed to the bullets that hit the ground behind him. His attention is completely focused on Yuuka who is barely a few meters away from him... and the bullets that are in the way.

Digging his feet to the ground, Shirou skids into a full spin before coming to a stop, sword drawn out at his side. A large dust cloud is raised from the aggressive deceleration. And from within, came a flash of light followed by a blue energy wave that quickly obliterates the incoming bullets from Yuuka. Then before the dust cloud cleared even the slightest, Shirou burst out of it. Going even faster than before, he's rapidly approaching striking distance with the flower youkai!

"Haaaah!" The sword pulsates with power as Shirou bring it down upon the still smirking Yuuka, who casually stepped out of the way just before the blade cleaved her head. "Gwah!" Unable to break free from his own momentum, the surprised Shirou trips to the ground. Falling face first to the grass, he skids a few feet before coming to a stop.

"…..!" The poor freelancer lets out a pained whine as he rolls around on the grass holding his face. "Hauuuu..." The few tears that escape him does nothing to cool the friction burn that he's experiencing with his entire face.

Seeing her opponent down on the ground, Yuuka casually strode towards him. Leaning down at him, she chuckled. "Heheh..." His rolling stopped as he realized that she's above him though his hand still covers his face. "Is that the best you can do? Frankly I am disappointed." Truthfully he surprised her a couple times, and lasting as long as he did was quite a feat by itself, but what kind of youkai would she be if she didn't establish her superiority over a defeated opponent?

But then he peeked out from between his fingers, and what she saw was not the eye of one defeated! His eye was sharp, clear, and somewhat calculating? Alarms were raised in her minds! Her opponent has yet to give up, so that means...

A flash of light from the corner of her eyes!

Turning around, a shining light flew past her, barely missing her head! She didn't have time to react to the close call though as a bullet cluster is just a second away from hitting her. Jumping away from those, she's then met by yet another wave of bullets by the time her foot touches the ground.

Letting her eyes wander for a bit, Yuuka quickly determines the origin of this surprise assault. "... Impressive." She quietly sounded her approval to the boy as she saw a large number of bullets hanging suspended in midair, previously hidden by the now dissipating dust cloud that the freelancer kicked up earlier. "But still not enough." Calmly, she raises her handy parasol to shield herself from the attack.

"Hm?" The moment the first out of many bullets hits her defense, she quickly notices something is off. These bullets barely have any power behind them! Sure, a danmaku match is not about power, or at least not most of the time, but these bullets are so weak they dissipates at the slightest touch.

That means...

With one hand still holding her parasol, Yuuka turns to look behind her to see her previously downed opponent rushing at her, his glowing sword stretched out to his side. From his surprise look, he clearly did not expect her to notice the sneak attack. But his determination quickly sets back in as he keeps rushing towards her.

Yuuka smirked. Such honest eyes... they're not that different from 'her'... With that thought in mind, Yuuka extended her palm at the approaching freelancer.

**Spirit Sign: Master Spark**

* * *

><p>"Oooooh... a direct hit. "Though she uses the same spell card, Marisa still winces as she watches the freelancer being blown away by it. The power behind that spell card is definitely something to behold, which is why she 'created' her own version of it by 'borrowing' very liberally from the original. "He must've done something right in Yuuka's eyes for her to use that spell card on him."<p>

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Is that a good thing?"

"That depends isn't it? But Yuuka held back on the power quite a bit, so it's all good."

"How do you know that she held back?"

"Because he's still getting back up." Marisa grinned as she pointed at the freelancer who's slowly getting back on his feet. "And... he's all charged up now! This match is still not over yet."

"He's charged up?" A confused Alice asked her fellow magician. When she's not getting any answers, she turns to the shrine maiden who's been quietly observing the match. "What does she mean by that?"

Reimu sighed. "It'll be easier for you to see for yourself."

* * *

><p>Shirou wheezes as he uses his sword as a crutch to stand.<p>

Damn his ego! It was so stupid to keep pressing on the attack when the opponent had seen through his feint. Instead of backing off he just kept on going, which ended up with him getting blasted by a Master Spark.

He shivered at the memory of being engulfed by the powerful attack. It felt like his whole body was buried deep under hot sands. Unable to breathe or scream, he was forced to withstand the heat that came crashing down with a force that is equivalent to that of a rampaging sumo-wrestler.

It hurts him so much... and it strengthens him even more so...!

Getting up, Shirou pulls out his sword from the ground and points it straight at Yuuka.

The youkai raises an eyebrow at the silent challenge. "How interesting... I was sure that you would be unable to continue after that, but you've proven me wrong." She seems to find no small amusement from this. "Round two it is then." Bullets fills the air once again as she says that. The same white and green pattern, in greater number compared to before.

Seeing the threat before him, Shirou feels strangely calm, elated even. Reimu would later explain to him that the excess power from one of the strongest in Gensokyo induced a euphoric feeling to him. However at this moment he doesn't know that and nor would he care even if he did knows. Right now all he cares about is that he feels powerful, and he will act like it!

Breathe in...

Breathe out...

Breathe in...

Breathe out...!

Yuuka's bullets were seconds away from hitting Shirou when the air around Shirou becomes saturated with his own bullets. Prismatic in colour, the number dwarfs his usual amount by at least 10 times! Shirou himself looks in surprise at the number, but his focus doesn't waver as Yuuka's bullets are quickly approaching.

Holding his sword with both hand, Shirou raises it up above his hand. Eyeing the encroaching bullets, Shirou steps forward and with a yell, he brings down the sword.

* * *

><p>Marisa lets out an appreciative whistle as a powerful torrent of energy tears through the air. Rending through the earth and sky, a powerful attack surges out from Shirou's sword and headed straight toward Yuuka, smashing through anything in its way; ground was scarred, grass burnt to cinders, and bullets vaporized. "He's going for an all out assault. I like that, very nice." The magician said approvingly as Shirou's bullets surges forward following the wake of the powerful opening attack.<p>

"What power..." Alice murmured in amazement. She's been blindsided a few times throughout the short match, but this one completely caught her by surprise; a feeling that no doubt she shares with the flower youkai who's currently on the defensive thanks to the freelancers attacks." It's almost the same level as a high level youkai."

Reimu shrugs. "This is certainly the strongest I've seen him at."

The doll user raised an eyebrow at that. "Odd choice of words there... Are you saying that his power level is fluctuating at different levels?"

"...Imagine a water bucket, a leaking one." Reimu started, confusing the doll user greatly. "No matter how much you fill it, the water will drain out sooner or later and the bucket will become 'empty'. However, as long the bucket keeps being filled over and over, there will always be water inside it to be used." Pausing slightly, Reimu looks over Alice's questioning gaze. "Currently the bucket is full. Yuuka poured so much water into it but she failed to break it."

And just like that, a light bulb is lit inside the doll user. "You mean...that master spark earlier? He's empowered by being hit by it? No wait..." The memory of her first sighting of him comes to mind, when he somehow let loose a shockwave of magical energy in the forest. "I see... so that how it is."

"Pretty much..." Said Reimu.

"Hm..." In the distance, Yuuka seems to be done with analyzing the enigma before her and has now started to poke and prod his defense with her own attack to see how he would react. "How long do you think he'll last before he's all drained out?"

"About 15 minutes or so in average." Marisa quipped into the conversation.

Reimu narrowed her eyes at the black-white magician. "And you know this how?"

"We tried clocking him once."

"We?"

Before Marisa can answer the inquiring shrine maiden, another person beat her to it. "That 'we' would be 'me'. Just because you were there does not mean that you are involved." A silver haired maid said as her feet softly touches the ground. Neatly tidying her uniform with her hands, Sakuya greet the trio. "Good afternoon."

"Sakuya... out on a grocery run?" Reimu said as she eyed the shopping bags in the maid's hand. "Shouldn't you hurry back home before they go bad from the heat?"

"It's all right. I have plenty of time." Sakuya coyly smiles.

"Right, of course you do." Reimu sighed. "So what were you saying earlier about timing Shirou?"

"Ah yes. Patchouli-sama expressed her curiosity regarding the subject a few weeks back. Hence I've taken the liberty to keep track of time whenever he's training with Mei-ling. Of course, I've never timed him under such circumstances..." Sakuya warily eyed the massive onslaught that is going on in the distance. "But from what I've seen, I can roughly estimate a guess. Shirou-san probably got about…"

"One minute" A new voice interrupted the maid.

Her ghost-half wrapped around her, the half-ghost gardener swiftly landed amidst the growing number of spectators. Youmu eyed everyone present before her eyes narrowed at the ensuing match. "His form is faltering and his swings are getting sloppy. That usually means he got less than a minute to keep going."

As she says that, everyone saw Shirou pull out a spell card with his free hand. One flash and the card has disappeared from sight. "It looks like he has recharged himself back to full, but he still look worn out... The mental drain must be pretty heavy for him." A concerned Youmu said before she turns to look at the others. "Can anyone please tell me why Shirou-san is having a danmaku match with Yuuka-san?"

At the Youmu's question, Reimu, Marisa and Alice share a look.

* * *

><p>Unaware of Sakuya and Youmu's arrival on the scene, Shirou lets loose a bullet barrage at his opponent before quickly backing up. Though he has recharged himself with his spell card, he cannot deny his tiring body which is starting to protest from being pushed past its limit. But as waves and waves of bullets come at him, he doesn't even have a second to rest. Left and right, forward and back, up and... Down?<p>

The freelancer curses as his legs fail to keep up with his brain and he trips. Falling backward, Shirou catches himself with his free left hand before using said arm to propel himself backward just in time to dodge a number of bullets that soon hits the place that he would've fallen.

Landing with both legs on the ground, Shirou skids a few meters before he stops himself, using his sword as a brake by stabbing it on the ground.

"Hah... hah..." A wave of nausea washes over him. Leaning forward, Shirou rests his head on his sword hilt as he starts to breathe heavily. His brain is screaming at him to not take a rest in the middle of a danger zone, but his body failed to comply. Honestly, as time passes the number of bullets from the flower youkai just keeps on increasing. At the start it was hard to keep up but he still managed somehow, but as time pass it has become more than hard, it's insane, crazy even, so crazy one would be called a **lunatic **to even attempt to continue on.

Keeping up with the pace drains him so much. Too much... He needs rest; a few seconds, a minute even.

"What's the matter, can't keep up?" Shirou is too tired to reply to the mischievous voice. All he can do is look up at the voice.

Though she has yet to take any direct attacks, Yuuka is certainly spotting the wear and tear from Shirou's assault. A few close calls singed her clothes, while a generous layer of dust and dirt covers her body. All in all, she's looking slightly worn, though compared to Shirou's condition, she's clearly in a much better state.

Once again in a position of looking down at the freelancer, Yuuka is looking smug as ever. "Now then, shall I end this match right now or do you still have a trick up your sleeve?" Though the voice is mocking, the eyes are expecting. Somehow, Yuuka is aware that he hasn't used everything yet and now she's challenging him to keep on going and show her more.

The tired Shirou may or may not pick up the challenging tone, but whatever the case, his reply is, "I'm... not done yet!" Not even bothering to ready his sword, he forcefully swings it upward, kicking dirt all over the place followed by a swarm of bullet.

If Yuuka is peeved from the surprise attack, she didn't show it on her face. Instead, a wide grin is displayed on her face. "Good... That's very good. Show me how far you can surpass your human limitation."

The freelancer didn't say anything back. Instead, a spell card flashed onto his hand.

**Shattered boundary: A fake reality in a delusion**

The sound of a shattering mirror echoes in the area accompanied by the appearance of dozens if not hundreds of bullets. Each bullet is glowing with unbridled power, a condition that does not mirror the exhausted looking freelancer. But nevertheless, Shirou stood up, his spell card also glowing with power in his hand.

"Your name is... Yuuka-san... am I correct?" Talking with a tired voice, Shirou slowly brought his hands together in front of him. "You asked earlier, if I have yet to show everything I've got..." The glowing spell card in his left hand burst into many beams of light that were absorbed into the blade in his right hand. "Allow me to give you the answer!"

Following an unspoken command, all the bullets simultaneously shot out towards Yuuka. And at the same time Shirou's sword is engulfed in a dazzling light.

Though the blazing blade raises some warning, the incoming onslaught of bullets took priority to Yuuka. Quickly calculating the trajectory and pattern, she quickly notices the straight linear path of the bullets. Very predictable, and even easier to evade really, which Yuuka proceeds to do so with very little effort.

In a matter of seconds she has successfully evades the assault with not a single bullet getting close to her. "Is that all?" As her feet touch the ground, she smugly taunted the freelancer. Her eyes narrowed though when she saw the same look on her face reflected on his exhausted face. And that's not all that she saw... for reflected in his eyes she saw...

Alarmed, Yuuka turns around to look behind her. What she saw makes her unconsciously take a step back. "This is..."

The bullets she evaded earlier are converging into a large pulsating orb that hovers about 40 metres from her. Its diameter about 100 cm and still growing; the orb is pulsating with power that potentially rivals Yuuka herself.

"Damn. I was hoping you wouldn't notice it."

Hearing the freelancer's exasperated sigh, Yuuka turns to her body to the side so she can keep an eye on both him and the giant orb. Though she's in a dangerous position, Yuuka found herself smirking at the frustration in the boy's eyes. "The eyes are the mirror of the soul, but to some with good eye sight, that term becomes quite literal."

"...You mean you saw it reflected in my eyes?!"

Yuuka found herself smirking even wider as the boy's face is marred with disbelief. "Is that so surprising? I am a youkai after all."

"That's...! Ugh!" Shirou suddenly let out a pained grunt as his sword crackles, power surges wildly through it. Similarly, the dangerous looking orb is exhibiting the same symptoms as well. It took a second for him to contain the power again, and as he does, he looks at her straight in the eyes. "This is will be my last attack. I'm putting everything I've got behind it!"

"A direct challenge? How unexpected." Said an amused Yuuka. "Very well then. Come." For the umpteenth time in the match, she challenges him.

And then, for the first time in the match, the freelancer returns her challenging grin.

**Forged Sign: Dual Spark—Divide**

Two things happen at the same time. Firstly, the floating orb behind Yuuka crackles before a giant energy beam bursts forth from it. Secondly, Shirou swings his charged sword vertically, unleashing an enormous energy blast from it.

Finding herself right in the middle of the two powerful attacks, Yuuka did the most logical thing for her to do. Quickly jumping upward, she narrowly avoids the much faster sword wave attack. As she cleared the first attack, she turns around to see the beam attack curved upward as if it's chasing her. But before she can react to incoming beam, something completely expected yet at the same time completely unexpected happens.

The two attacks collide below her. As it happens, the sword wave slices right through the beam, creating two separate beams that come nowhere close at her.

At first glance, this might seem like complete a misfire by the freelancer. But for Yuuka who find herself smack dab in the middle of the passing beam, she's in quite the predicament.

Trapped between the two beams, Yuuka saw the dozens of bullets that were leaking from the two sides of the beam. The bullet number is numerous, and quite often there are surges of energy that would 'lash' out at her from either side. Making it even more problematic is the fact that the two sides are slowly closing in on her. It's as if the sliced beam wants to merge together again with her still in the middle of it!

"Most impressive..." She mutters just as the onslaught falls upon her.

* * *

><p>30 Seconds. That's how long Shirou's final attack lasted; a pair of bright beam that cuts through the skies of Gensokyo. It glows so brightly even amidst the burning sun in the background. Surely many eyes turns to look at the spectacle, and from there many questions will be asked. The red-white shrine maiden rubs her forehead at that prospect.<p>

"Are you satisfied now Yuuka?" An upset Reimu ask the flower Youkai.

Shrugging, Yuuka smirked at Reimu. "Indeed I am." She said this while cradling her swollen left arm. It took a direct hit right near the end and it looked like her arm would stings for a while. "On many occasions the boy surprised me during our short match. Truly, the tengu's report on him does him injustice."

"Yeah well..." Reimu turns her gaze to the right. Her eyes softened slightly as she watch Marisa and the others trying to perform 'emergency' treatment to the lightheaded freelancer who has yet to get back to his feet after he unleash his last attack. "I was hoping to keep him concealed for a bit longer, but after today I don't think that will happen."

"Oh? Why would you do that?"

"Because whenever a youkai is interested in a human, something bad always happens. It's common sense."

"Hm... You might say that, and I admit that it is true in some, if not most cases. However, I've know a few humans who are simply unable to draw away from the supernatural. "Yuuka looks straight at Reimu as she says this. "You yourself are prime example for it."

"... I think I'm a special case."

"Indeed you are. But arguably, that boy is a special case as well. If that is the case, then hindering him from 'us' would be detrimental to him don't you think?"

"..."

"Now then, shouldn't you join the others? Maybe you'll have a better luck waking him up than those girls." Saying that, Yuuka turned around and started to head toward her flower field.

"You're leaving just like that?"

"Yes I am. He seems like someone who doesn't take to losing very well." She smirked. Though Shirou managed to land a solid hit on her arm, it does not count since he collapsed the second he fired his last attack. And given that Shirou is unconscious, the rules of danmaku place him as the loser since he is no longer able to continue the match. "Best I be away before he gets the idea of asking for a rematch right?"

"It scares me that you can understand him that well in such a short time."

"Let's just say I know another head strong human just like him."

"And who would that be?"

"Huhu... I'm not telling..." Saying that, Yuuka flied away toward her garden before the shrine maiden could say anything back.

Reimu sighed as the youkai disappear amidst the sunflowers. "I think I'm missing something here." Curious as she is, she deems it too much trouble to follow Yuuka into her territory. Hence, she decided to do as Yuuka suggested. Turning away from the flower garden, she found the maid waiting for her.

Sakuya greeted her as she approached. "Finished your talk?" She curtly asked her.

"It's over for now." Reimu answers the maid. "Where's everyone?"

"They've moved to someplace a bit more sheltered from the heat." Sakuya nods her head toward a tree cluster on the edge of the clearing. There, hiding from the sun glare underneath the tree canopy are Marisa, Alice, and Youmu who are crowding over the still unconscious Shirou.

"C'mon, let me borrow that thing over there for a minute. I'll give it back, promise."

"N-no! You can't just borrow my other half! She's me and I'm her. We cannot be separated... even though we're separated..."

"Don't be like that. Just look at how much Shirou is sweating here. Don't you feel bad for him?"

"B-but it's so embarrassing..."

"I only want to use that thing there as a pillow for Shirou. Why does that embarrasses you?"

"B-because... Uu..." Poor Youmu is on the verge of crying as she hugs her ghost half tightly. Her face pale skin is flushed bright red that cannot be hidden behind her semi-transparent other half.

"Haaaah..." Observing the rather one sided oppression from the sideline is Alice who shakes her head every few seconds or so.

"What is going on here?"

Alice turns to the arriving shrine maiden and maid. Shrugging at Reimu's questions, Alice lets her back touch the tree bark. "It is as you see. Shirou-san has somehow fallen asleep so now we are just trying to get away from the heat."

Reimu raised an eyebrow as she saw Marisa who managed to get a solid grip on the half ghost while said half ghosts solid body is tearfully trying to pry her other self away from the magician's grasp. "Right..." Unfazed by the commotion in the background, Reimu casually strode towards the sleeping Shirou. "Has anyone tried waking him up yet?" She lightly nudged the body with her feet.

Alice shakes her head. "No, we figured he needs some rest after all that."

"Yeah well, I'd say he's had enough rest. Someone go wake him up."

"Oh come on Reimu." Marisa appeared, having decided to fall back from her cause before sword starts to swing. "Don't you think he deserves a bit more sleep time after all that?"

"... I don't know about you, but I want to go home now. So unless someone wants to stay here, under this blistering sun to make sure that he's not eaten by a youkai, I suggest we wake him up, now."

"Right, good point." Marisa is quick to concede to the shrine maiden."So how are we doing this?" She asked, unsure, knowing full well that the freelancer quite enjoys his sleep.

"Well..." Youmu kneeled down beside the sleeping human. "Um... Shirou-san, would you please wake up." She said while lightly shaking him.

"... 2 more—no, 5 more hours..."The response is more like sleep talk than coherent speech. It doesn't even look like Shirou is fully aware to whom he's talking to before he went back to sleep.

"That kind of half hearted approach won't wake him. So allow me." Marisa said. Moving next to the half-ghost, the magician violently shakes the freelancer with her feet. "Time to go! Wake up! And trust me when I say that you want to wake up now before the others tries to wake you up!" She loudly says.

This time around Shirou stirs from his sleep. With an annoyed grunt, he pushes the offending feet away. "I-I'm awake..." Albeit looking a bit groggy, Shirou sits up. Blinking the sleepiness away, he looks around blankly at the people surrounding him. "When did you two get here?" He asked the maid and half-ghost.

"Hm... about half way through the match I believe?" Sakuya answered him, with the Youmu nodding in confirmation."You did quite well all things considered. Few manage to last as long as you did against that one, and even less were able to catch her off guard."

"... But I still lost in the end." Openly yawning, Shirou stood up onto his feet. His body feels strangely refreshed as he does. It's like the weariness from earlier never happened, like it was only an illusion of the mind, or merely a dream...

Deciding to save this subject for another matter, Shirou looks around as if he's looking for someone. "Where did Yuuka-san go?"

"She went home. Something we all should be doing as well." Reimu answered curtly.

Hearing her words, Shirou's expression becomes a mix of relief and disappointment. "Is that so..." He mutters.

Reimu frowns. "I hope you're not considering asking for a rematch or something stupid like that." She told him off bluntly.

"Um..." Weighted by the stares of everyone's present, Shirou swallowed down his original answer and quickly replace it with something else. "...Maybe?" His response is met with 5 simultaneous groans. Even Marisa is shaking her head.

"Shirou...! You...!" A spell card flashes into the shrine maiden's hand!

"Eep!"

**Divine Sign: Ying-Yang Sanctifier Orb**

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><p>Yuuka chuckled as she watched the boy she just fought get hurled back into unconsciousness by a solid bullet to the head. As she predicted, the boy has a twisted sense of danger to even consider challenging her again. How very interesting...<p>

"Did you find what you're looking for?"

If Yuuka was surprised at the voice, she showed no sign of it. "I would like to think that I did." She replies to the bodiless voice. "The similarities are there, it's actually quite obvious if you know what to look for."

"Isn't it?" The voice said amusedly.

"Who else has noticed it?"

"It's surprisingly a very short list; you, me, and perhaps Yuyuko. A certain frog also knows somewhat, but it seems that she falls short of the full truth."

Yuuka raised an eyebrow at the mention of the frog but wisely decided to not bring it up. Instead, "Hah, so that flighty ghost notices it too? Did she let anything slip yet?"

"If she did, no one seems to have picked it up."

"I see... the three of us should have a chat about this one day."

"I have no problem with that."

"I'll look forward to that." Peeking from between her flowers, Yuuka watches the group leaving the area with the freelancer dizzily being held up by two of the girls. "So tell me, with him being here, does that mean..."

"Unfortunately you are right. He's the last one on that side. Due to some misfortunate events, he has severed his ties on that side, and as promised, I brought him here soon after."

"And I assume you kept quiet about 'that' to him... and 'her' as well?"

"...She doesn't know either."

Turning around, Yuuka looks straight at the small gap where her conversation partner voice is coming from. "And why not? Don't you think 'she' has the right to know about the facts as well?"

Yuuka didn't have to see to know that youkai that is lurking in the gap has a wide grin on her face. "Because it's much more entertaining this way."

"Ah yes... That I concur."

* * *

><p><strong>Day 75 Ends.<strong>

**It really has been a while hasn't it? 10 months according to the story's last updated time.**

**It's truly a wonder how much happens in less than a year...**

**I got a 1 months contract job extended to 3, then got an internship going for full position... Life really can be quite hectic. Thankfully I'm still surviving. **

**Anyway, about the chapter;Frankly, It's quite a pain writing this one. Inspirations are slow and between, and deciding the 'final' spell card took nearly a week. 'Forged Sign: Dual Spark-Divide' is the result of taking dual spark and trying to make it work with the limitation of a human. I think the concept works quite well, in fact, I'd say this will be his strongest card ever! ... not counting his Final Word.**

**Next chapter... well, I'm planning on adding the new characthers that is recently introduced to the Touhou Universe from the new game and mangas. This will require some research, but I got some ideas planned out, at least for the Werewolf and Mermaid.**

**Anyway, I'm going to sleep now, work tomorrow, got an early morning ahead of me. I may take a look at the chapter again tomorrow to fix any grammar problems and stuff. If you guys spot any problems, do leave a comment or a review so I can fix it okay? It really has been a while so my writer skill level could have gone down significantly. heheh...**

**As an extra though, here's a super short story that takes place after chapter 17 of the Forbidden Scrollery manga. Enjoy.**

**I'll see you all next time.**

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><p><strong>Extra-<strong>_ At an unspecified time in the future._

"So let me get this straight, you were being so remorseful when you bopped that book girl earlier and yet you have no trouble at all hitting me?" An irate looking Shirou said while he leaned on the shrine's gate pillar.

"I'm agreeing with him this time. That is a bit strange." Said Marisa

Pressured by her two friend/acquaintances, Reimu groaned as she sweeps the shrine's courtyard. Not stopping her sweeping, she turns around so that they cannot see her face. "W-well… that can't be helped isn't it? Suzunaan is a girl and Shirou is a boy."

"And…"

"And what? That's it."

"…"

"…"

"... Marisa, I'm borrowing your Master Spark for a sec."

"Uh… yeah, sure."

"Whoa hey!" Turning around Reimu throws her broom at Shirou who got his spell card on hand. The broom hits him in right the stomach, and as he doubles over in pain, Reimu stampedes forward and grabs him by the collar. "Don't you dare! I just cleaned the place!" She said while shaking him violently.

"Give me a reason not to!" He yells back at her.

"I'm giving you a reason right now!" She shakes him even more violently.

"Hey hey… "Marisa carefully said as to not draw any ire to herself. "I'm sure Reimu has a very good reason for being like that. Right Reimu?"

"A reason? Um…"

"_Listen here Reimu. Human boys are a rowdy and psychical bunch that is not so very different to youkai. When dealing with them, you need to be stern, don't let them push you around. In fact, it's probably better if you treat them as if you would treat youkai."_

"_Okay."The three years old Reimu looks up at the woman._

"_Good girl." The woman smiled at the girl in her lap. She then puts her young charge on the ground where she start chasing around a small fox sprouting 9 tails in the shrine's yard._

"Something like that?" A sheepish shrine maiden concludes her story.

"…"

"…"

"… Dammit Yukari!"

Somewhere hidden between the gaps, a certain youkai smiled as she sleeps.


End file.
